Burn My Dread FES
by Miles Edgeworth
Summary: Sequel to Burn My Dread Complete. The Bending Club was supposed to spend today saying goodbye to their old life, but now, they find themselves trapped, and lead by an unlikely person inside the Labyrinth of Lethe. What dangers lie in wait within.
1. Shin Megami Tensei

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Nakushitemo torimodosu kimi wo I will never leave you._

_If you wanna battle then we'll take it to the streets."  
- P3FES_

_Lotus Juice feat. Yumi Kawamura_

**Prologue: **_Shin Megami Tensei_

"Finally, I thought you'd never come."

In a space full of black, stood a girl. Despite the lack of anything to stand on, she seemed to manage just fine. Looking boredly at the person she spoke to, the person who did not respond, she walked over, causing the black to ripple like satin.

"Are you listening to me?" she asked, accusingly.

The person looked over, opening eyes of gleaming gold. The girl smiled, and looked her over, circling her in the blackness. The person turned to follow the girl, but the girl put a hand up, and if through unspoken commandment, the person stood still.

"You're looking well!" the girl said. "All considered, you shouldn't look so complete. That takes an awful lot of will. I don't think many people could pull it off. Still, almost is not quite perfect, and not quite is not good enough."

The person tried to speak, but her lips were so dry, she felt like she hadn't spoken in years.

"Don't try and talk," she said, "I mean, you can, but it won't do you any good. I can hear your thoughts, anyway. I mean, this isn't real, after all!"

"The end is coming," the girl continued. "I remembered, so I thought I'd tell you. You can thank me later."

Then, she put her hand through the person. Despite the feeling that it should hurt, it did not in fact cause any manner of discomfort. Pulling her tiny arm out, the girl, about eight years of age with hair and dress that just faded into the blackness around them, straightened herself out, and opened up a small sheet of paper.

The person stared at it, uncertain what to make of it.

"It's a contract," the girl said. "Did you forget what one of those are, too?"

The girl laughed. "Oh wow," she said, "You are pathetic! I can't believe it. You don't remember how to sign a contract do you. I bet you don't even remember what name to put at the bottom of the paper."

The person reached out, looking for something to write with, and finding no such implement, paused.

In her hand, a golden pen formed, and she clutched it tight. "That's right," the girl said, "Just sign your name on the paper. It's a contract. It just says that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff."

The person tried to search out her name in the empty expanses of her mind. A mind that should, she thought, be populated by clear memories and thoughts, but found vastly unfilled. Still, somewhere, in that void, she found something that was familiar, something distinctly her own.

She wrote on that sheet of paper a name.

_Azula Houou_

And with those words, the pen became nothing, and the paper was taken by the little girl, who folded it up, and then, taking each end of the booklet in her hands, she compressed it until it vanished into thin air. "Wonderful. Oh, there was something else I need to tell you!" she said quite happily.

"No one can escape fate forever, it delivers us all to the same end."

* * *

"-- don't believe it --"

Azula opened her eyes. The first thing she felt was a sudden disorientation. The light hurt her eyes, and she took a minute to adjust. When she did, she looked around, and saw a room full of nurses looking over her.

"She woke up," somebody said, to someone outside, "Call Mr. Houou immediately."

Azula could feel her lips feeling parched. She looked at the myriad machines she was hooked up to, and the hospital gown that fell loosely over her body. She furrowed her brow, and looked around for a minute, before grabbing one of the nearby staff by the arm, and hissing, "Who did this to me?"

"Miss," a woman said, entering the room, "I'm glad to see you've recovered, now would you kindly unhand Nurse Nametame before you hurt him."

Azula did so, turning to look at the authoritative woman. "And who are you?"

"Your doctor. With the recent recovery of most reported apathy syndrome cases, we were expecting you to recover. It just took longer."

"How long?" she managed to croak out. "How long have I been out like this?"

"It's been about four months," the woman said, "Give or take a few weeks. I want to ask you a few questions. What's your name?"

"Azula, Azula Houou," she said. "Why would I not know that?"

"When were you born."

"The third day of the month of Virtuous Descendents," Azula said. "Why?"

"Count to ten."

"Pointless," she said, "I know how to count to ten. Do you want me to do it in a different language. Une, deux, trois--"

"That's fine, Miss Houou. How many fingers am I holding up."

"Cinq."

"Very good, Miss Houou," she said, nodding. "Your brother, Zuko, will be here soon. I believe he had a graduation to attend."

"A graduation?" she tried to do the math in her head. "It's been too long. How dare they leave me in that state. How dare they!"

The doctor seemed to be less than pleased. "I believe perhaps a psych evaluation may be in order."

"That won't be necessary, doctor," a calm, level-headed voice said. "She's just disoriented, I'm sure." Azula arched an eyebrow when Zuko entered the room. Somewhere over the course of the months he'd grown into a more confident man. She wouldn't admit that aloud, but she could almost be proud to call him brother.

Almost, but almost was never good enough. "Can I have a private moment with my sister?" he asked. The doctor looked less than enthused with the idea, but nodded. "Thank you." When the nursing staff finally filed out of the room, he sat down next to her, and looked her over.

"Well, if it isn't my loving brother," she asked, coldly. "I bet you were dreading this moment."

"Was I?" Zuko managed to answer in a level voice. "Azula, you've been gone for a long time. We tried to find you."

"You failed," she said.

"Yeah," he answered, "We did. Azula, what happened to you, in there?"

"I -- I don't remember," she said. "I'm not sure there's anything to remember."

Zuko sighed. "The last time I saw you was before the last battle with Agni. You stayed behind."

"Are you certain, I don't recall that," she said with absolute certainty. "To be honest, there's a lot I don't recall clearly. How can I be certain what you tell me is the truth. Perhaps you want to use me in this state to brainwash me into becoming the perfecft little sister you always imagined."

The accusation hung heavily in the air. Zuko did not, at first, respond, but when he finally steeled himself for a resposne, it was strange. "If that's what you want to believe."

"I suppose you're still associating with those traitors in the Bending Club. Did Aang put you up to this?"

Zuko's reaction was unexpected. HIs face scrunched up, and he seemed absolutely furious. Taken aback, Azula started to prepare some new line of questioning. In her hospital bed, she couldn't really bend fire easily without making an absolute fool of herself, and she couldn't feel her strength, quite yet.

"Aang," Zuko finally said, "Went somewhere very, very far away."

"Good," Azula hissed. She felt some pang in her heart that said otherwise, but she was careful to keep it secret, and not to let her body to show even the slightest hint of weakness. As far as she was concerned, until she was certain of those blanks in her memory, she would act as though he remained a threat.

Zuko, however, seemed much more patient. "He missed you, before her left. I know he wished you were there to send him off."

Azula scoffed. "He was a fool."

"Yeah," Zuko said, quietly, "Maybe."

She paused, "He really missed me? You aren't trying to lie to me, are you, Zuko?" she watched him carefully, expecting some kind of response, some hint that he was trying to trick her. Instead, he nodded, confidently, and looked away.

"I graduated today," he said, "Everyone is having a party tonight."

"Well, good for them," Azula said.

He sighed, breaking into a wry smile, "I figured you'd say that. I guess I won't tell them to come say hello."

"Why should I want to see them?" Azula asked.

"I thought you might like some company," he said. "I guess I was wrong. My apologies, Princess Azula."

She stared at him, her eyes furious. "Don't you dare mock me, Zuko. You could have done something, but you left me in that state for four months."

"Yeah," Zuko said, staring back. "You did more than enough in that state as it was. Maybe it's better you can't remember."

He stood up. She looked at him as he pulled his jacket straight, and then said, "Where are you going?"

"To my party," he said. "Sokka and I both graduated, so we're having it at the old dorm. If I miss the tram I'll be late."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I hope, if the doctor lets you out, you'll try and make some time."

"I honestly doubt I'd have time even if she did, the dragon seems content letting me wallow in this bed forever."

Zuko shrugged. "If that's your decision, Azula, I won't stop you. It was good to see you again." He walked out, and Azula's eyes followed him, careful that he was gone before she slumped back in her bed and felt the crushing weight of how weak she felt.

Her hair seemed to be cut in an unfashionable style, and was growing just a tad too shaggy for it, and her nails longed for a decent pedicure. She could feel dark rings under her eyes, and she felt fatigue aching at every joint.

She closed her eyes. Maybe, she hoped, sleep would take her and she wouldn't have to worry about the emptiness inside her head.

Her eyes drooped, and she fell into a long, quiet slumber.

* * *

The graduation party had another, ulterior motive. Looking over the old dormitory looking so empty really hit home that their life before was past. Katara sighed, resting her hand against the door to Aang's old room. She couldn't bear opening it.

Most of the things had been sent to his guardian. She met him briefly while visiting Aang in the hospital, a cheerful old man with a heavy heart and a heavy burden. She pushed away from the door and walked down the stairs.

Toph's perception without her bending was impaired, but to assume because she was blind she did not pick up on things could not possibly be more wrong. She heard Katara's footsteps -- light, quick, with a sudden hop when she reached the last two steps -- and looked over. "And look who's joining us again, did you have fun tormenting yourself again."

"I don't know what you mean," Katara said. "I just wanted to -- you know -- reflect."

"Yeah, I'm thinking no," Toph said. "You were standing outside Aang's door without enough guts to open it up and look inside."

Katara grimaced, "Maybe, so what. I'm totally fine, Toph. That's the past."

"That's why you dumped boyfriend number fifty-two noisily over the phone right before graduation?" Toph asked.

"I haven't dated fifty-two boys, Toph! Stop making things up."

"Okay, maybe boyfriend number three. Katara, really," she said, her voice softening, "This is really hurting you, I get it. You don't need to cover it up by just -- you know, forget it. You want to make a mess of your life, you go do that."

Boxes filled the lounge, tucked in behind the desk and over beside the staircase, leaving enough room for their graduation party without forgetting that tomorrow all their things would be moved back home and they'd have to find a new dorm to stay in.

Closing it waas the merciful thing, really. There were too many memories, too many painful memories, now that Aang was gone. Katara still tried to riddle out the strange reasoning behind it. Why did he, of all people, need to do that? Couldn't the Avatar use one of its many past lives to do the same thing?

It made her angry, and it made her sad, and it all just wrapped up in her head like a tornado.

"Hey, what's with the glum faces?" Sokka called out as he threw open the door. "Sokka Floes is going to Ba Sing Se University next semester, and he's got the diploma to prove it!" He looked so happy, smiling bright like that, his voice danced with excitement.

Both Katara and Toph, unbenownst to each other, shared a sentiment of bitter jealousy.

"They're probably glum because they saw you coming," Zuko muttered, brashly. He pushed past Sokka and sat down.

"Where did you come from?" Sokka asked.

"None of your business," Zuko snarled right back.

"Okay, okay, fine," Sokka said. "Whoa, down boy."

Katara frowned, "Do you have to be so rude, Zuko? You left in a hurry, we were just worried something happened. Was it the hospital?"

Her eyes lit up hopefully, and Zuko paused. "Yeah," he said. "Sorry, it wasn't about Aang."

"Oh," Katara's eyes clouded over again, and she looked away.

"Was it your sister?" Sokka asked. He looked for a reaction on Zuko's face. He received very little. Zuko looked over at him, and looked down. "It was. Did -- did something happen?"

"Yeah," Zuko said.

"And?" Toph added, impatiently, "That thing that happened would be?"

Zuko looked over at her. And then, his eyes looked to Katara, who seemed to be interested again in the conversation. "She woke up. She doesn't remember much clearly, especially after she was trapped in the Spirit World."

"So, she doesn't know about Aang and --" Sokka frowned. "She's okay, though?"

"Same, icy, psychotic Azula?" Toph clarified.

"Yeah," Zuko answered, "Same old Azula."

"At least she can't firebend anymore," Katara grinned, wryly, "Or else we'd all be dodging thunderbolts right about now."

"Katara," Sokka said, level and calm. Katara looked over at him, and at the look he gave her, she grew quiet.

"She's right, though," Zuko said. "Was I stupid for thinking she could change?"

"No," Katara admitted, "There's some good in there, it's just covered up by all that rotten stuff your dad put into the two of you. And you turned out okay, in the end."

"Thanks," Zuko said dryly, "That means so much to me."

"No need to be sarcastic," Katara said, her voice starting to fade as she felt more and more uncomfortable, "I was just saying."

"Real smooth, Katara," Toph said. Her bangs fell over her pale eyes, and she tapped her cane to the floor. "So what do we do about this? I mean, she did help us when you get down to it, but she almost killed us before."

"And she succeeded once," Katara muttered.

"I don't know," Zuko said, "But this is my problem, not yours."

"We're here to help, we're your friends, Zuko. Or did you forget that?" Sokka said. "You've been getting more and more distant lately."

"Whoa," Toph said, "Why are we getting so angry? Let's just party like there's no tomorrow, okay? Forget about Azula, forget about all of the stuff we've been through and just be like normal high schoolers celebrating the fact that two of our friends are going to be shipped off to college."

"I guess you're right," Katara said. "We're friends, right? Let's just trust each other."

"All right," Zuko said.

"So, you order the sushi?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know, Sokka," Zuko muttered, "Maybe I ordered the sushi after your fifty-million text messages asking me if I did or not."

"You never answered them!"

"This is why I regret having a cell phone."

* * *

The Sun was replaced with the Moon, and the night sky cascaded over the city of Ba Sing Se. Sozin Memorial Hospital was no exception, and the moonlight cast Azula's room in a pale and unearthly light.

She opened her eyes, and clung to herself desperately. Sleep seemed to be too close to what she'd been doing those past four months, and it left her uncomfortable and nervous afterwards. She stretched her arms out.

"Good evening," someone said.

Azula's eyes focused just beyond her arms at a strange, small girl sitting on her bed. "You -- haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Very good," the little girl answered. "I wanted to talk to you, and since the moon is full, I thought I'd come and say hello."

"Who are you?"

"I don't got a name," she said, "Not one of my own, yet, anyway. But I will, soon, just you wait and see."

"What is it you wanted to tell me, anyway?"

"That's no way to treat someone who's going to do you a favor. Oh well, I suppose, since it's you, I can overlook it." The girl laughed, hopping off of the bed and walking over towards her. "I remembered that I had to tell you where you have to go."

"I have to go somewhere?"

"That's right. A place between time and memory, built by hands unknown," she said. "Soon enough, you'll know the way, but until then, we're going to be apart. You'll find me, won't you?"

"Why would I want to do that. You're a figment of my imagination, or some such."

"Oh, you're impossible," the girl said. "I don't want to be left alone too long, so you'd better come and find me there. If you don't, I'll get you back somehow."

Azula smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

The girl pouted. "Okay, fine. You're mean, but since it's you, I'll forgive you! You'll find me in that place, whether you want to or not."

The girl walked away from the bed, passing through the shadows between the windows and vanishing as if walking behind some invisible screen. Azula paused. She furrowed her brow and considered what she'd just seen.

She'd seen far stranger than a little girl who could vanish into thin air, but something about her seemed familiar and yet disconcerting. The feeling welled at the pit of her stomach, but she couldn't place it.

But those thoughts were soon derailed as there was a noise from somewhere outside her door. It sounded like a loud crash, but then, nothing. The entire room seemed entirely too quiet now, and she reached for a light.

The switch did nothing. No light to shine on the hospital which seemed now all the more disturbing. The sanitary, white walls seemed far too tall, and the ceiling seemed to dip down at the center, as if weighed down by something above her.

All tricks playing in her mind, for certain, but still, convincing tricks. She got to her feet, and found surprising fortitude and strength in them. She looked at the hospital gown and frowned in distaste. She wasn't about to go out and explore in what she was wearing.

She looked around the room for something substantial.

Sitting on a chair, pushed to the side, she found her school uniform. It looked like it had been put there earlier, but the only person she could think of who could bring that for her was her brother, and that was as unlikely as a ghost pulling it out of her wardrobe.

She changed, quickly, in case anyone came in, and then pushed the door open.

Outside, the hospital was dead quiet. There was no one moving about the hallways, and the sounds of machines were absolutely silent. She could spy a nurse's station at the end of the hall, but there was no one there.

Across the hall, she could see what had crashed, it was a wheelchair, now up-ended, but there was no one in it, and no one she could see who could have pushed it into the wall. Still, curiosity got the better of her.

Not curiosity of who shoved the wheelchair, and if anyone else was here, but curiosity on whether or not she could sneak out of her infernal prison. The hallways were empty, the doors were slammed shut, and the entire expanse of the hospital she could see was plunged into darkness.

Not even an emergency light to aid her, she found her way to the main entrance, and the doors to freedom besides. The main reception desk was unmanned, but the flicker of a security display cast the only source of man-made light in the building.

She tried to open the doors, but to her surprise, they refused to budge. They seemed locked. Turning to the reception, she walked over. The door to behind the desk was unlocked, and the door pushed in. She wondered idly why this felt almost like one of Sokka's dumb video games. She looked for a key, but found nothing. Her eyes passed the monitor, noting with a glance that it was the hall outside of her room. The wheelchair's wheel still spun, and she could see into her room from the still opened door.

Someone was standing just inside, though it was too dark to make out who.

Azula did not process this all while looking at the monitor, her eyes still scanning the room for some way to open the door.

But when she realized that someone was inside her room, her eyes darted back to the monitor.

The hall was empty. Not even the wheelchair remained. The door was closed, and she couldn't see anyone moving in the halls. Her stomach tightened as she felt herself become hyper-alert. Someone else was in the hospital, and she didn't see anyone else --

And it was only her composure that held back a scream as that figure now stood right in front of her. He was walking to the door, back to her, and he seemed enshrouded in darkness as he moved. The only thing she could see of him clearly was a tattoo that ran up the back of his neck like a line, but vanished into dark shadowy hair.

The doors opened as he passed, and Azula just stared after it for a moment, before she followed it.

* * *

"Man, this is nice," Sokka said, delightfully picking away at the expensive looking sushi spread. "Raw fish, who'd have thought of it, right?"

"The Fire Nation," Zuko answered. "Obviously. You better appreciate that that's coming out of my personal account, too, Sokka."

"Oh, I do," Sokka said. "But hey, it's like a wrap party, you should have called it a business expense."

"There's only so much I can put down to a business expense," Zuko muttered.

"So, where is everyone? They're late!" Toph asked. "Mai and Ty Lee were supposed to come, right? And I know Suki's coming to her own party."

"Oh, Suki's coming," Sokka said, "I just got a call from her."

Katara looked over at Zuko, "And Mai?"

"Mai's probably coming. She didn't sound very enthused."

"Does she ever? I got to hand it to her, when she gets here. Remember when she called the Principal an idiot to his face?"

"Highlight of the graduation ceremony," Sokka added.

"Oh yeah, that was today," Toph said, smirking. "You've got an awesome girlfriend, Zuko."

Zuko grunted.

Katara looked to the door. "Still, they're really late at this point. Sokka ate half of the sushi already."

"They're probably busy doing girl things," Sokka said.

"Girl things, right," Katara rolled her eyes. "Maybe they got lost. I'm going to give them a call."

"How do you get lost coming here, anyway?" Toph muttered.

Katara turned on her phone, and seemed spellbound for a moment. She looked over at Sokka, and said, "Is your phone out of service too?" He looked at his, and just as he was about to say no, he stopped, and nodded his head. "Okay, I'm going to just go out and see if I see them."

She walked up to the door, when she heard a loud bang against it.

"Is that them?" Toph asked.

"That sounded like someone hitting the door, not knocking on it," Zuko said. He pushed past Katara and began to open the door when someone walked right through it. They only saw him for a moment, but his eyes were blue, so blue that they seemed to glow.

And then, he was gone.

"What was that?" Sokka asked aloud. He reached besides the door for his baseball bat. "I got a bad feeling about this."

"Yeah," Zuko muttered. "I thought I was seeing things."

Zuko turned the handle and opened the door.

* * *

Azula had barely time to organize her thoughts let alone plan ahead. She followed that shadowy boy through the city for reasons she wasn't sure of. When she finally did reach his destination, to her surprise, it was the old dormitory. The building stood just the same as four months ago, probably untouched inside as well.

She saw her brother's car parked outside, and the lights were on inside. The shadowy boy, who until now had kept a few steps ahead of her had vanished somewhere, and she went towards the door of the dorm.

She fought back the urge to knock. There wasn't much she could do or say. Her brother had welcomed her back, but some of the jumbled up old memories did not put her and the other Benders on very friendly footing. She remembered Yomi, and she remembered fighting with them inside.

She remembered Aang, standing before her, but she couldn't remember what he was saying, or why when she reached for her gun, she had not fired at him.

"Why can't I remember?" she wondered, quietly to herself. She turned to leave, when she saw that shadowy boy again. He stared at her with brilliant blue eyes that seemed to bore right through her. He walked forward, towards her, without a single hesitation. She slammed her back into the door.

"Stay back," she warned. The boy didn't listen. He walked right in front of her and then right through her and through the door behind her without so much as a sound.

She shivered. The sensation of him walking through her was cold and uncomfortable. The night wind did little to make her feel warmer. Autumn seemed to bring with it chillier nights. When she was last outside, it was summer, and the uniform she was wearing was made with that in mind.

She pushed herself off of the door, and tried to regain her composure. It wasn't an unbearably cold night, but something in the air seemed to bring chills down her spine. In front of her, the ground seemed to churn, and from the pavement, a large talon covered in chiton broke out, and a large monster clawed its way out from the ground.

It stood a head taller than her, with a large hunched back, with large goat horns growing out of the closest thing the creature had to a head. Most of its body was covered in a layer of chitonous armor, shaded a deep brown. It stood on four legs, and the talons were attached to long arm-like appendages.

It was a shapeless monstrosity.

Azula's breath remained calm. She brought herself into a careful Firebending stance, and she thrust her arms forward.

To her shock, nothing blazed from her fists, and she realized just how cold she really felt.

The door of the dormitory opened, and Zuko called out to her. "Azula?" His eyes focused on the creature, and they narrowed, "Get inside, quickly."

Azula did not need to be told twice. She pushed past him inside, and the creature followed after. Zuko shut the door, and looked around, "We need to barricade this, quickly. That spirit won't --"

His words were cut off by the creature tearing through the door, breaking the lock and shoving it open. Zuko was tossed a few feet into the room, and he rolled when he hit the ground, knocking his head against the television set.

"Where did this come from?" Katara asked. "This is impossible. Did you do this, Azula?"

"Nice to see you again, too, Katara," Azula managed. "Why isn't my bending working? What did you do?"

"Hi, Azula," Toph said. "Meet Kettle, Kettle, meet Pot. Will you two stop arguing and figure out something we can do? What kind of spirit is it anyway?"

"One of those ugly ones," Sokka said. "I got this. Bat, do your thing!" He ran forward with the bat and swung it against the creature's legs. The bat splintered into many pieces as it collided with the almost metallic armor-plating. The creature remained undettered from Azula, trudging towards her, bashing anything aside with its goat hurned appendage.

"Okay, I don't got that," Sokka said. "Run!"

"The back door," Katara said, "This way!"

"I know where the back door is," Azula said. Katara took Toph by the wrist and ebgan to run. "Why are you helping Toph find her way around, too?" she snarled, "Do you think we're idiots?"

"No time to explain," Toph said, "Evil spirit creature chasing us."

"That doesn't explain why it's even here," Katara said. "Aang -- he gave up everything to stop this from happening!"

"What are you talking about?" Azula asked. Katara reached the back door first, and pulled at the door ineffectually. "What's the matter?"

"It won't budge!" she said. "The roof!"

The creature pushed into the dining room and snorted. Its horned appendage seemed to follow wherever Azula went. "Cornered," Katara murmured. "Azula, I'll try and distract it. You get to the roof, and take Toph!"

Toph grabbed Azula's wrist. "You better not try and lose me," she said.

"What's with you. You'd usually yell at anyone who treated you like this because you're blind."

"Well, yeah, usually I'm not being chased by a spirit that I can't fight back against," Toph said, "There's an exception to every rule."

Azula frowned, "Without bending, you can't find your way around, can you? You never learned how to do it without earthbending."

"Shut up!"

"I see," she scoffed. "Will that thing just leave me alone."

Katara was pushed aside by the creature with one long flail of its long arms. It pushed forward on them, its four legs refusing to agree on a direction as it moved closer to Azula.

"Hey, loser!" Toph said, breaking her hold of Azula's wrist and running away from her, "Why don't you follow me instead, I'm richer than she is!"

The creature ignored her, standing right in front of Azula. "You just want me, huh?" she asked. "You can't have me without a fight." The creature brought its arm up to strike, and Azula leapt backwards. She was unarmed, her bending didn't work --

And her head was beginning to feel really fuzzy.

When it came for her next, she couldn't find her footing to dodge, and the large ram horns knocked her to the ground. She started to stand when she fell to her knees. The spirit loomed over her, its chitony talon held aloft to finish the job.

She closed her eyes. "A Houou faces death head on."

In the dark expanses of her mind, she felt a light ripple through the black. And she opened her eyes. The creature was hesitating, unsure of how to react to her. Azula felt her body move without her control, turn to face her side to the creature, and then turn back, her arms crossing as she did.

The creature was knocked clean back by a gust of wind that extended from her strike. Dazed, and unsure if it was her imagination, Azula watched as the wind knocked the creature back to the ground.

As it stood up, shakily, her body moved again, and another blast of wind tore through the creature, and it began to fade into a deep, brown fog that evaporated into nothing. "Azula?" Katara managed to mutter, standing up, "What did you do?"

Azula fought desperately, she grunted and moaned as she felt the dizziness overwhelm her senses, and she fell to the ground, her eyes closing, and she fainted clear away.

She fought against the blackness, and fought to open her eyes. When they did open, she found herself not in the dormitory, or the hospital, but a room. It looked like a hotel room. A small table was set up in the center of the room, and a man -- or a boy, she couldn't be sure -- sat behind it.

He wore a bright yellow mask shaped like the sun.

She blinked.

"Where am I?"

"Welcome," the boy said, his voice youthful and excited, "I've waited a long time for this. I'm so glad you could join me here, Azula!"

"Who -- who are you?"

_You who have been cast into nothing have a bitter work before you_

_After all you've done, there is only one hope for freedom._

_There exists a place here built by hands unknown,_

_As long as it exists, the future that you fought to destroy is in peril._

_You who would traverse this world between time and memory,_

_You will be granted a great gift to finish the task left only half complete._

_The future is not set in stone, nor is your destiny,_

_It is your choice now, and you will remain here until your decision is made._

_To be continued._


	2. Labyrinth

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Whatever you do it's always gonna come back, so living by gun's gonna get get the gun clap."_

_- Burn My Dread - Final Battle - Reincarnation_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 1: **_Labyrinth_

"Who -- who are you?"

Azula tried to focus, but the hazy, smoky light made it difficult to see, let alone concentrate on the person who sat across from her. She gripped at the seat she found herself in, and tried to remember sitting down. "Where am I? What is going on?"

"Azula, please calm down --"

"Why do you know my name?" she asked.

"You -- you don't know me?" the boy asked, surprised. He reached to touch his face, and his fingers actually moved through the mask, as if it wasn't even there. "I feel like myself," the boy said, talking to himself in a hushed voice, "Then why doesn't she -- oh!"

"Oh, he says," Azula drawled, her patience on its last vestiges. "Who are you!"

"Well, I could tell you," the boy said, "But I believe that would rob you of a very important learning experience. For now, just call me -- uh -- give me a second."

Azula watched bemused as the boy began to say, aloud, several names that sounded, strangely, familiar to her. "No, that's just not right. Call me, er, Lee!"

"Lee," Azula said, incredulous. "You expect me to believe your name is Lee?"

"Yes," the now-named Lee said, "I totally do."

"Fine," Azula said. "Okay, 'Lee,' where are we?"

"Well, you're actually asleep right now, so this is all just a dream," Lee said. "But I'm sort of a guide. You may have already noticed that you can bend again."

"Yeah," Azula said, "Thanks for the heads up." She crossed her arms. "Is there a point to all this. I do not suffer fools, Lee, and all I'm seeing here is a foolish boy who is wasting my own personal time."

"I hope you don't mind," Lee said, "But yes, there's a point. I'm here because the Avatar Spirit has granted you a special gift. The Avatar Spirit is acting through you now, you control its will and can bend all four elements."

"Okay," Azula said, her brow arching, "You've got my attention."

"You're trapped in a place between time and memory," Lee continued, "That creature was only the first that you'll face in the Labyrinth --"

"Stop right there," Azula said. "What labyrinth?"

"The one beneath the dorm," Lee said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Oh, I guess you haven't been there yet. I'm sorry, this is the first time I've had to do this, so I'm a little rusty."

"That's fine," Azula said, tiredly, examining her nails, "Just be quick and don't bore me with pointless exposition."

"I don't know exactly how, but a maze has formed underneath the dorm. It's a bit strange," he said, "But you're going to have to find your way through it if you want to get out of the dorm. This maze isn't a part of the normal world, it's somewhere between the Spirit World and your world, and it has qualities of both in it."

"All right," Azula said.

"I know your memories aren't really clear," Lee said, "But you must trust your friends if you want to ever escape the Labyrinth and see daylight again."

"You seem to know an awful lot about me, Lee," Azula said, harshly, "How do I know you're not like that little girl?"

"What little girl?"

"The one who made me sign that contract," Azula said.

"Oh," Lee said, producing a familiar looking booklet, "This contract, you mean?"

"How did you get that?" Azula demanded, rising from her seat. "I demand answers!"

"And you'll get them, in time," Lee said, the contract placed on the table. "This contract was just the same as one Aang signed when he began his journey. You'll have to discover what it means for yourself, though."

"How do you know Aang?" Azula asked, sitting down slowly. "Where is he? Is this his fault?"

"Well --" Lee sighed. The smoke seemed to thicken and things became hazier. Lee looked at her helplessly.

"I'm sorry, you're waking up. We don't have much time to talk, and I need to tell you something very important. Beware the moon's twin. The garden holds many surprises." He placed something on the table, and Azula, compelled, picked it up. It was a key.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked.

"It's a key to a door in the labyrinth," Lee said. "We'll meet again when you've discovered the garden's hidden truth."

"Wait, what do you mean --" Azula called out in frustration just as her voice caught and the world was swallowed up in black. She heard voices, talking in hushed, frightened tones, and she noticed that she was no longer sitting, but laying down on a couch.

She opened her eyes, and looked around.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Sokka said, as she drew herself upright. "Looks like you were running on empty there. Come on, Sushi?" he offered her a plate. She put up a hand, and he put it down. "Well, you're probably a little disoriented, but don't worry, no one's exactly sure what's going on right now."

"What hit me?" she asked.

"Nothing, actually," Sokka seemed quite a bit more jovial company than her brother, and Azula looked over at him, furrowing her brow. "Well, okay, it's probably the fact that you've been in a bed for four months and then just happen to run all the way from the hospital over to here in like two hours."

"I was in a hurry,' she admitted, "That boy was getting away."

"What boy is this, exactly?" Sokka asked.

"Some -- never mind," she said. "I'm probably just crazy."

"Don't say that," Sokka said. "No one's crazy who can admit it. Or something." He took a bite of the sushi she'd been offered, and looked back over, "I think Katara's still checking to see if the windows will open, but looks like we're stuck here for a while."

"The windows won't open?"

"Doors won't, either," he added. "Even the one with the broken lock. This is great."

"What?" Azula asked. "Do you like being trapped in our dorm?"

"No," Sokka said, "But I do like a good puzzle. Ever since Aang stopped the Unification, things have been kind of boring, but this? This is some sort of occult super-mystery, and I'm all over that."

He added, "And I think your mystery boy may be part of it. He showed up, and a second later, we had a giant spirit trying to kill us."

"You saw it too?" she asked. "Then -- this isn't one of the delusions?"

"Azula," Sokka said, "We've fought a giant moon amoeba, a were-badger mole, and a planet sized fire god, right now, mysterious shadow boy seems to be par for the course."

"I suppose," Azula said. "Has anyone checked the basement yet?"

"No," Sokka said. "But that's a good idea. Maybe there's a way out through there."

"I think there may be," Azula said.

She smirked, watching Sokka leave. Well, she wouldn't be the one stupid enough to fall for that line about a maze beneath the dorm. She suffered delusions and hallucinations, yes, but she wasn't quite crazy enough to believe them.

Sokka called out "Guys!"

Azula shot to her feet and ran towards the basement door. Sokka was standing just in front of it, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Azula, I don't know how you knew about this, but -- this is huge."

"Yes, it is," she agreed.

The old steps stopped abruptly and were replaced by a long, silvery brick patterned floor. The passageway went forward, much further than the actual building did, and stopped in a fork ahead. Large, imposing statues were built into the walls, horrific shaped monsters with large eagle wings and claws.

"You think it goes further?" Sokka asked. "And what happened to our laundry room?"

"Only one way to find out," Azula answered, stepping forward. She felt Sokka's hand grab her arm and she reared upon him, snorting up enough air to knock him clean back into the room. "Oh, right, airbenidng. I nearly forgot about that."

"Yeah," Sokka muttered, "I didn't want to bring that up just yet. But I guess you remember so, what's the deal?" He rubbed his head as he stood up. "And you're not going in alone and that's final."

"Fine," Azula muttered. "And I can't really say. Maybe the Avatar Spirit is smiling upon me for once in its miserable existence."

Sokka furrowed his brow. "Giving Azula Avatar Powers," he said, "Azula - One, Cosmic Awareness - Zero."

"And what, precisely, do you mean by that?"

"Nothing!"

"That's what I thought," she said, haughtily sticking her nose in the air. "Still," she began, "I agree, it is rather odd that the Avatar Spirit would help me of all people."

"Sokka!" Katara shouted, "What was that noise -- oh, Azula's awake. That explains everything."

"Oh, Katara, you've returned from your expedition to find a window. Did you have any luck. Remember, they're square, made of glass, and can be opened to let in air."

"You know, I almost felt sorry for you, Azula. Almost. I mean, really, you were more likeable in a coma."

"Would both of you stop it," Sokka said, angrily. "Do you think Aang would want us fighitng each other when clearly, something's happening with the Spirit World? After what Aang did, all he gave up to stop that, we can't ignore this."

"What do I care what Aang gave up. He's not here now," Azula said, "Good riddance."

There was perhaps, in Katara's mind, an actual, audible snapping sound as her temper finally broke. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she, by force of habit, fell into a waterbending stance. Azula scoffed, "What are you going to do, splash me?"

"I'll show you a splash!" Katara shouted.

Sokka put his hand on her wrist and pulled her upright. "Are you crazy?" he asked. "First off, you're letting Azula provoke you?"

"She -- she --"

"Secondly, did you forget she can bend and you can't?"

"Yes, that's an important thing to remember, Katara," Azula said. "For the time being, you need me, so let's be all good friends, all right?"

"You really are heartless," Katara said. "I thought, after what you did for Aang, you were better, but now I get it. It was all some big lie."

"What I did for Aang? I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

"Never mind," Katara said. "You're a real piece of work, Azula."

Around this time, Toph and Zuko came down the stairs. "The roof's out," Zuko said. "And something weird's happened to the meeting room. Most of the rooms are open, but --"

"Aang's," Katara said. "I can't get it open."

"Well," Azula said, "How interesting. My dream is coming true, piece by piece."

"What dream?" Zuko asked. He looked at Azula's hand, and asked, "What do you have there?"

"A key of some kind." She noticed the number eighteen written on it. "Certainly is an odd looking key." There were no 'teeth' like on a normal key. It almost looked more like a metal card of some kind. The handle formed a crescent where the number was inscribed.

"It doesn't look like a key at all," Katara muttered, "Maybe you should have stayed in the psych ward."

"Katara," Zuko grumbled in a low voice, and Katara closed her mouth. Azula arched her brow. While Katara had always been confrontational with her, this was a slightly different wrinkle in their relationship.

"So," Sokka said, "Now that we're all here and done picking fights, I'd like to draw our attention to what Azula found."

"What's that?" Toph asked, "I can't, you know, see?"

"I was getting to it," Sokka said. "Down these stairs, there's a maze."

"A maze?" Katara asked, peeking down the basement stairs. She frowned, "Oh, no. This is like Yomi all over again. And we don't have Yue to guide us around and find the quickest route to the top."

"That's bad," Toph said. "So, are there monsters in there, too?"

"Yes," Azula said, "They're there, somewhere. More like the one we fought."

"We're forced to relive our old lives the day we were going to say goodbye to them forever," Zuko said. "Well, this is just great."

"You're right!" Sokka said, enthusiastically.

"That was sarcasm," Zuko corrected.

"I know, but I chose to ignore that,' Sokka said. "This is it, the last chapter of the Avatar Squad?"

"Avatar Squad?" Azula scoffed, "I liked Bending Club better."

"Well, whatever we're calling ourselves," Toph said, "What do we do? I mean, it's been hours since we've been locked in here. The others will be wondering why they can't get in."

"That's a good point," Sokka said. He looked at the clock. "Hey, Zuko, what's your watch say."

Zuko looked at Sokka and shrugged. "It's broken. Keeps saying it's nine."

"Yeah, that's funny," Sokka said. "What are the chances that every clock and watch in this place say nine?"

"Very unlikely," Azula scoffed. "It seems like we really are trapped here."

"Okay, time may not be marching forward, but," Sokka frowned, "I'm still hungry."

"Eat the sushi," Azula said, rolling her eyes.

"We don't know how long we'll be in here," Zuko said, "And Sokka's right, I'm feeling a little hungry myself. The sushi can last us only so long, and it's not very filling. We need to get supplies somehow."

"In my dream, there was something about a garden," Azula said, "Maybe we can find that in there. And maybe, just maybe, there'll be something substantial."

"But that's not meat!" Sokka whined.

"Too bad. I'm going to look for a garden down there," Azula said, "You're welcome to join me, or just wait here."

"I told you, you're not going alone. We should probably take some weapons," Sokka said, "Get ready, and in about ten minutes, we'll meet down here."

"Oh, ten minutes," Toph said, "I'll just guess when that's up."

"Well, let's go get prepared," Azula said. "Then, we'll discover this so-called garden."

"Come on, Katara," Toph said, "Let's go. I'll feel safer around Spice Girl if you have that whip of yours."

"Yeah," Katara agreed, "Me too."

The two girls headed up the stairs, and Azula frowned as they went. She looked back at Sokka, and frowned. "Why did you defend me?" she asked. "I know you hate me just as much as anyone else here."

"Yeah?" Sokka asked, "The way I see it, if Aang thinks there's something good in you, I'm going to believe him. That doesn't mean I trust you, and that doesn't mean I feel any safer than they do around you."

"A wise fool," Azula said.

"You know, you need to lose the attitude, Azula. You're making everyone nervous, and we don't need you bringing up Aang like that, not after what happened."

"What happened?" she asked.

"Would it matter if we told you?" Zuko asked. "Come on, Sokka, you need something more substantial than a baseball bat against these things."

"That was my favorite bat, too!" he complained.

The two walked away, leaving Azula feeling small and alone. She looked down the maze, and looked at her uniform. She did not have her gun holster hidden under her skirt, She felt exposed without it, and headed up the staircase.

Sokka was talking loudly across the hall to Zuko while they went through their room, and Azula stopped, and crept back a few steps, to remain hidden and listen to them. "Your sister sure has it our for Azula," Zuko muttered.

"You should have seen them earlier. I think with Aang gone, she's just," Sokka sighed, "I feel like I can't do anything to protect her and I'm her big brother, that's my job."

"Yeah," Zuko frowned.

"How do you protect your little sister from herself, that's what I want to know."

"Welcome to my world," Zuko grunted.

"Hey, you did everything you could," Sokka said, "She's just going to take time to come around. Knowing you, she started yelling and you just clammed up."

Zuko grunted wordlessly.

"Come on, you visited her every day before and after class. What more can you do?"

"I should have taken her with us," Zuko said, "I should have known she couldn't stop all those spirits alone."

"You didn't know that, and she wasn't alone. The Blue Spirit, that Kyoshi Warrior, all of those spirits who helped us, they were there too."

"I should have done more," Zuko said.

Azula rolled her eyes, and began to walk up the stairs to the girl's floor. She stopped when she saw Katara and Toph going the other way. "Oh, it's you," Katara said. "Come on Toph."

Katara brushed by and Toph pushed past, and Azula stared back at them as they walked off. She scowled, and hurried to her room. Opening the door, she found most of her things had been packaged away in boxes with her name written on it. She recognized the penmanship as Zuko's.

Still, the room looked much the same as she left it. She scoffed, opening one of her boxes, she saw her clothes thrown in with apparent care. She opened another, and looking at the label, scrounged through it.

She found, at the bottom, a small metal case. Opening it, she found a spare holster and gun, along with ammunition, that she had always kept just in case. She spent a minute adjusting the holster on her leg so to keep it unobtrusive, loaded the weapon, and placed it in her holster.

Guns, by and far, were elegant weapons befitting someone such as her, in her mind. Whereas Katara went with that ridiculous whip she could hardly use -- typical Katara dn her over-reliance on bending -- and Toph did not even bother getting a real weapon, she had mastered marksmanship as part of her training.

At the bottom of the case, there was a strip of red cloth, an old armband that all members of the Bending Club used to wear. She looked at it, nostalgically, and with a shrug, placed it around her shoulder.

She drew the weapon and aimed it in practice. Muscle memory did not forget, even after months of disuse. She replaced it in its holster and headed downstairs.

The others were all down there waiting for her when she arrived. To her surprise, they also wore the same armbands. A force of habit, maybe, Azula reasoned. "Late as usual," Toph muttered.

"Hey, she's on time," Sokka said. "I mean, she is leading this expedition, isn't she?"

"That's quite right," Azula said. "Follow me, and we will crush anything that dares impede our path to victory and freedom."

"Oh," Sokka drawled, "Kay."

"This is a bad idea," Toph muttered.

"We don't have a choice. We either go into the labyrinth, or we stay here and starve. What's it going to be?" Zuko asked.

"When you put it like that," Toph sighed.

"Well, the longer we wait, the weaker we'll feel," Katara said. She gripped her whip tightly. "Let's go."

They stepped into the labyrinth, and into the shadows.

* * *

They walked down the main hall for the better part of five minutes, it seemed, and the way never became any clearer. The fork at the end of the passage fast approached, and they stopped, looking at the two passages that split off of the main passage.

"Which way?" Sokka asked, looking to Azula. Azula placed her hand on the right wall and began to move to the right.

"As long as we follow the right wall, we'll eventually reach the end," Azula said. "So we must be patient."

"Okay," Katara said, "Whatever you say, Princess."

"It's quiet," Zuko muttered, "Too quiet."

"Why did you have to say that?" Sokka moaned, "Here I was thinking, everything is going to be fine as long as someone doesn't say anything, and you go and say something!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "We haven't been attacked yet, but if Azula's right, we will be. We need to be alert and prepared for that possibility."

"Okay, okay, sure, fine. I got you. But at least this place isn't a spirit magnet like the tower was."

"Now who's jinxing us," Toph muttered.

Hand still on the right wall, Azula moved forward, ignoring the chatter behind her. She remained focused only one what she saw ahead of her. She put up her arm, and the group stopped, like well trained little soldiers, she wryly thought.

"Up ahead," she whispered.

"It's that boy again," Katara whispered right back. Azula rolled her eyes.

"No, it's some other mysterious shadow boy," Azula said, "With the exception of Toph, we're not blind."

"Hey!" Toph shouted. The boy turned and his piercing blue eyes stared right through them. The blue, while it seemed to start at his irises, extended through the whole eye, the glow bleeding out through the entire eye.

"Way to go, Toph," Sokka muttered, "Now he's seen us."

Azula stared the boy down, and for a minute, it seemed like the boy smirked, the shadows that formed his face swirling around and reshaping, then, without a word, he turned and began to walk down the hall.

He pressed his hand against a wall, and a door appeared.

He stepped through without opening it.

"Hey, come back!" Katara called out, running after the boy. Azula lashed her arm out and grabbed Katara by her arm. The girl didn't stop, and Azula pulled her back with no gentle movement. "Ow!" Katara cried. "What's the big idea, Azula?"

"Are you stupid or something?" Azula scowled. "Or did you forget about the monster that showed up the last time that boy appeared."

"That's no excuse for that, Azula," Sokka said, coming to his sister's defense. Azula smirked at him. And drew her gun. "Whoa, where'd you sneak one of those in here?"

"I have my ways," Azula said. She pointed the gun forward. "Let's proceed slowly. That door has me interested."

"Remember what we're here for," Zuko said. Azula sighed, always serious, never curious, Zuko was predictable as ever. Still, predictable had its uses, she thought. She turned her head to look back at him. He'd drawn his Dao Blades. She smirked. She didn't remember the last time she saw him use those, even after she returned them to him not so long ago.

"Good to see you're finally fighting seriously."

"I always fight seriously," Zuko snorted. Azula turned back to the passage. It was long, and the door was straight ahead, by all appearances. However, Azula had long since learned to trust appearances at her discretion.

She stepped forward, and the walls began to raise and lower around her. "This is," she looked for a word, "Discouraging."

"Move forward, now," Sokka said, "We might be able to get ahead before --"

A wall burst out in front of the door, closing shut the passage, and opening two new passages around them. "Any other ideas, professor?" Azula asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well," Sokka said. "We need to get to that door."

"Do we?" Zuko asked, "We have no idea if that door will lead to the garden."

"Call it woman's intuition," Azula asserted. "That's the way to the garden, I'm positive."

"And who are we to doubt the great and wise Princess Azula," Toph muttered.

"Guys!" Sokka shouted. "We're in a crazy maze with walls that come to life and evil shadow boys that leave behind monsters, do you think we can focus on being angry at one of those things, instead of at each other?"

"I never figured you for the peace-keeper," Azula said, "But I can't deny that you're right. Let's focus our anger." She smirked, "Make it useful."

They proceeded down the hall until they reached the intersection. Azula felt the wall in front of them, and sighed, looking over at Toph. "Unfortunately, it seems I'm not really ready to bend more than Air right now."

"I doubt you could bend that well even if you could," Toph snorted. "You don't have the mentality for Earthbending. Always plotting and scheming, you don't take things head on."

"Oh?" Azula said, her smile growing wider. "Well, we'll see about that. Anyhow," she looked down the two passages, "We have a decision to make. We can keep following the right path, which I suggest, or, perhaps, you'd like to go to the left."

"Why are you asking us?" Katara asked. "Aren't you playing pretend-leader now?"

"We're all entering into a new mission, and I think, as leader, I should establish some measure of trust with each of you," she said. It was a simple lesson she'd learned from her father. Give your subordinates some freedom and learn to discern which ideas are worth listening to, these two things combined would yield amazing results.

"Well," Sokka said, "The right path seems to be the most sensible, but." He pointed to the left hall, "This way. I got a hunch."

"Yeah, sounds good," Toph said, "Anything that isn't Azula's idea is good by me."

"I hate to say it, but let's go right," Katara added. "If it's a dead end, we'll come around this way anyway, so why not?"

Zuko grunted, looked at all of them, and started down the left path. "Zuko, I order you to stop right there."

"Yeah," Zuko said, "I'm making a decision for you, Azula. We go left. If this were any normal maze, you may be right, but this is not a normal maze at all." He motioned to the wall, "These things move. It may be impossible to find our way around."

Azula stopped, looking dumbfounded. "Zuko, that's," she looked for some word, some way to put him down and cut him down to size, but she couldn't find anything. He was absolutely right. This was hardly a normal maze. "Very well. Left it is."

Zuko led the group down the left passage with Azula standing just behind him. She spoke softly, so only he could hear, "While I am impressed, don't undermine my authority again. I'm leading this expedition."

"Only because you're the only one who can bend," he paused, "For now, anyway."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Azula asked.

"No," he said, "I'm saying that you don't know how to lead. Yeah, sure, you got the books that tell you how to lead a group, the training from Dad, I know that." He smirked, "But you lack that something that made Aang a great leader."

"And, what's that?" Azula asked.

"If you have to ask, you didn't know Aang," Zuko said.

Puzzled, Azula slowed down, and furrowed her brow. Something she lacked that Aang had. Well, it couldn't be the Avatar Spirit, strange as it was, she could feel it inside her now that she knew it was there. It must have been different to be a part of it, but she felt like she could feel the cosmos if she just focused hard enough.

And it certainly wasn't experience. She'd been leader before he came along.

In front of them, the shadowy figure seemed to appear just out of the corner of their eyes to disappear again. Another figment of their imagination, Azula supposed.. But as they passed these shadows, small spirits seemed to drip out of it like water.

They swam through the air towards the Bending Club.

"Guys, do you hear something?" Toph asked, suddenly.

"Sounds like someone left the faucet on," Sokka said, turning around. The fish spirits looked at him, and he looked back. "Oh, hi."

"Oh, hi?" Katara blinked, "Who are you talking to -- oh no. Azula, spirits!"

Azula turned around just as they pelted themselves at Sokka knocking him down with ease and regrouping as they did . They turned their attention to Katara. She barely moved out of the way, and she looked back, "Do something!"

"Do something? Me?" Azula asked, looking quite smug.

"Azula," Zuko said, in a low, warning tone. He drew his Dao Blades and moved to strike the spirits. They weaved around his strikes as if they weren't there, and rained down on him, knocking him into the wall.

"We can't fight back without bending," Katara moaned. "Toph, to your right!"

"What the -- ow!" she was struck and fell to the ground, "This is embarrassing."

"I guess it's up to me," Azula said, tiredly.

She hadn't tried Airbending since that incident, there hadn't been time, so she desperately tried to remember the katas in the old scrolls the Phoenix Group had discovered. Circular movements, always moving, never standing. She remembered how Aang moved when he airbended, so light that his feet barely touched the ground.

She smirked, she could do that, easily.

The air around her feet swirled as she kicked, knocking the strange fish monsters into the wall where the splashed ineffectually to the ground. "This is too easy," she smirked. They began to reform, and one, acting as a leader of sorts, led the charge on her.

She knocked it aside, moving out of the way of the next, and with an acrobatic twirl, she flew through the air. Her heart skipped a beat. Airbending, unlike Firebending, made her feel at harmony with the air around her. It seemed a constant ally, understanding and it took care of her as she sailed through the air and landed, feet on the wall. The fish spirits slowed to turn, and Sokka tore through one with his boomerang.

"What are you doing, Azula?" Sokka asked, "We can't fight these as well as you."

"Well, excuse me for having a taste for a little flair," Azula said, launching herself off the wall with great force. She spun around, the air whipping like a tornado around her and slashing the fish spirits into little bubbles. "And that," she said, "Is that."

Zuko frowned, and Sokka shrugged. "Well," Sokka finally said, "That's dealt with."

"We'll need someone to watch the rear," Azula said. She felt a little light-headed, but she put that down to adrenaline. She wondered if this was how Aang lived every day, feeling a high from the sheer freedom of airbending. "Zuko, would you please take care of that?"

"Please?"

"Yes, you all seemed to forget manners, so I feel I should lead by example," Azula said, smugly. The others grumbled.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Zuko muttered.

"If I had my waterbending," she muttered, "Why is it Azula can bend but we can't?"

"Who knows," Zuko said. "Could be any number of reasons."

Katara frowned, "I tried bending after Azula did that. I was, I was excited to think that I could again. It's so disappointing. I want to bend, it even feels like I could, I feel it inside me, but when I try, something blocks it."

"Maybe it's all in your head," Zuko said. Though, he shifted, and looked a bit uncomfortable, "But I think you're right. I can feel it in me, too."

"Me too," Toph muttered, "If I could, I'd be able to find my way around on my own."

Azula looked back at them, and frowned, "Are you trying to be left behind?" The three suddenly stood erect, and moved rigidly quicker after the group. "Better!"

"I hate her," Toph muttered.

"Me too," Katara said. "Zuko, I know she's your sister, but you can't seriously --"

"This is the only way she knows," Zuko said. "Be patient with her."

Toph sighed, "He's going to side with his sister, just great. She sold you out, remember?"

"I remember what she did," Zuko said, "But I forgive her for it. At least, I'm trying to."

He hurried on forward, and Katara sighed, "He's right, though. She's set in her ways. We should just try and be civil."

"You can try that, I'm going to watch my back."

"I didn't say I was going to trust her, but this isn't going to be easy if we're always at each other's throats," Katara elaborated.

"Good luck with that."

She sighed. It did sound impossible.

* * *

The door was ornately carved, with the number eighteen written into its wooden body. Above it was the picture of a moon, and Azula noticed that through the gap underneath it, pale light seemed to pour in.

"Is that moonlight?" Katara wondered, approaching the door.

Azula touched the door tentatively, to see if it was real. It felt solid enough, and the key in her hand seemed to react to it. "This is most unusual," she said. "Most unusual indeed."

"Well?" Zuko asked. Azula tested the door, and found it wouldn't budge. "Locked, huh?"

"And we have a key," Azula answered. She looked for a keyhole or any signs of something to remove the lock. Beneath the handle there was nothing, and the engraving seemed to leave no room for a hidden keyhole.

"But no lock to put it in," Sokka added.

Toph muttered, "Wish I could see this door you're going on about. It isn't like we're in our spirit bodies. I could see there."

Azula put the key to the door, and watched as it sunk into the doorway, and the door began to open of its own accord.

And they stood, in a darkened, underground labyrinth, staring through the door into a vast garden resting on a hill top, where the full moon seemed to shine light bright enough to make it seem like day.

Katara breathed a sigh, "Wow." She walked forward, and Azula moved with her, looking around at the plants that seemed to tower above their heads. Zuko and Sokka helped Toph over the step, and onto the stone path. A stairway led downwards and the garden wrapped around like a maze beneath them. Large canopies of climbing vines covered the passages, and ripe, hanging fruit seemed to hang mockingly out of reach.

"I got this," Sokka said, He tossed his boomerang at a bow of moon peaches, and the fruit landed on the ground with a nasty squashing sound. They looked down at the fruit, and saw the insects scurrying out of it.

"Ew," Azula managed, in a dignified voice.

"They're overripe," Zuko muttered, "Most of them must be. No good."

"Let's head back," Azula said, "Maybe we missed something, another way through this maze."

Katara was about to turn when she heard something coming from the maze. It was familiar, an old lullaby that her Gran Gran had sung when she was little. She looked down at the maze, "Is someone in there?"

"What?" Azula asked, stopping. "What do you mean, is someone in there?"

"I hear someone," she said, "Maybe we should investigate this."

"We don't have much of a choice," Sokka said, "There's no way out of here. That door's totally gone."

"Then that makes this simple," Azula said. "We proceed into the garden."

_To be continued._


	3. The Garden of Guilt

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"I never felt like -- so different now. It doesn't seem like we've been far apart. Turn me so jealous."_

_- When the Moon's Reaching Out Stars - Reincarnation -_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 2: **_The Garden of Guilt_

The Garden was lush and full of life. The white-washed fences were covered in creeping vines as they wrapped overhead in a long, winding passageway. There was something eerie about the sounds that hid in wait under the brush, and the eyes that seemed to watch them and vanish into the night glowed with a vicious ferociousness.

Azula took the lead, and looked only straight ahead. She did not turn around to look at her soldiers as they marched on.

"I'm tired," Katara muttered, "We've been walking for an hour and we've been following your stupid right-hand technique the whole time."

"This is getting us nowhere," Sokka agreed.

Azula bristled, but did not stop or turn around, "Your objections are duly noted, but this is the only way we'll be guaranteed to find the center."

"Let's take a rest, at least!" Katara protested.

"And waste valuable time?" Azula said, finally rearing on the group. "Katara, I'm disappointed in you."

"She's right, Azula," Sokka answered. "You can't just keep pushing forward. We need to rest."

"There's a clearing ahead," Zuko said, "Let's take a rest there and try and see if there are any clues or maps of this maze we can use. That way we rest but we keep productive."

Azula sighed. "Fine," she said, "We'll rest there."

The group approached the clearing a few minutes later, and much to Katara's joy, there were seats there. They were covered in vines and undergrowth, but she cleared off a place to sit down, and looked up at the sky overhead.

"That's a big moon," she said.

"I haven't seen the moon in a long time," Azula snorted. She steadied herself against the seat and looked around. "This is a large clearing. The rose bushes are quite pretty. I haven't seen plants like this in a good long time."

"Yeah?" Katara asked. "I didn't think you'd be interested in gardening."

"I'm not, particularly, but my mother kept a garden at home. You'd be better off asking Zuzu about it, since he was mother's favorite."

"Mothers don't have favorites," Katara said.

Azula rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Katara. Mothers are people too, they're not some incredibly perfect being like you think your mother is."

Katara laughed, "My mom was far from perfect. Dad told me about when they were dating, and she made a lot of mistakes, but he was clear that she never picked favorites. I'm sure your mother didn't, either."

"It doesn't matter. She imported plants like these from all over the world," she continued, "And she built it around a turtle-duck pond."

"I'd heard," Katara said, dryly. "Do you still try and murder the poor things?"

"Of course not," Azula said, cryptically, "I don't need to try anymore."

"You're a piece of work, Azula," Katara said. "Just when I think I see a new side of you, you just show off your ugly side."

"It's a gift," she playfully grinned. "Red roses, they're a rare treat. Their thorns are quite prickly."

Azula looked over to the others. Toph was holding onto Sokka's arm as Zuko walked them through a small orchard, where the apples were practically dripping. "Do you think they'll find a way faster than your path?"

"I suppose it's possible," she dsif, "I've heard that some mazes were designed to counteract that technique."

"You mean, it doesn't work?"

"Hardly," Azula said, "The very design of a maze makes that impossible. But, it's possible to make it the single longest path."

"Do you think that's what's happening?"

"Who can say," Azula said. "Without a map, I'd be guessing. We'll see."

"All right," Katara said. She sighed. "Well, if we can't find another path, we'll just have to grin and bear it, right?"

"Good to see you finally coming around."

"I don't like you, Azula, but I know you. You don't get any benefit being stuck here, so, for now, I guess we can trust you."

Azula smirked, and was about to retort when she stopped, and listened to a distant sound. It was as though someone was singing an old song, long forgotten. Katara turned to look for the source of the voice. "I know that song."

"You do?"

"My gran-gran sang it to me when I was very small. She was from the Northern Water Tribe, it's an old lullaby."

Down a long passage connected to the clearing, a girl walked, carrying with her a small watering can that, when she poured it, dripped out moonlight. The red roses underneath turned white, and she carried on in this way, singing the old Water Tribe words, as she went. As she came closer, they could see the intricate silks that made up her dress, white and blue mixed together, with pearls embroidered into the crest of waves.

She wore a diadem of platinum, with a large silver pearl on the forehead.

She was a goddess, walking amongst the flowers.

"Yue?" Katara blinked. "Yue!" she sounded elated, and ran over the girl. Azula grumbled, getting to her feet and following Katara. "What are you doing here, Yue?" she asked.

The girl looked over Katara, and furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry, mortal, but have we met?"

"Yue, it's me, Katara," she said, "Remember? From the Bending Club? We explored the Spirit World together. You even went to school with us for a bit!"

"Oh, Katara," Yue said, placing stress on the first syllable, "Yes, I remember you now. How is that being mortal work out for you?"

"Uh, fine, I guess."

Azula scoffed. "Where are we, Moon Spirit?"

"My, aren't you rude," Yue said. The way she talked seemed completely alien from the Yue Azula remembered. However, it had been some time since she last remembered seeing Yue. Had she really changed so much? "Speaking to a Goddess with such a tone."

She looked around, "More of the riff-raff found its way in here? This just won't do. Katya, wasn't it?"

"Katara."

"Whatever, would you be a dear and help your friends find their way to the nearest exit. It just won't do having common mortals treading in my garden."

"This is your garden?" Katara asked. "Well, that's great! Have you seen a boy run through here?"

"A boy? Hardly. Oh, but wait, yes, now that I think about it, I do believe I know who you mean."

"Well?" Azula asked, tapping her foot impatiently, "What is it?"

"Do tell that one, whatever her name is, to be quiet," Yue said, her eyes narrowing into angry slits, "If she disrespects a Goddess one more time in her own domain, she may find herself losing more than just her way."

"Azula, please," Katara said, "Be diplomatic for once."

Azula whispered, "To this haughty, stuck-up -- fine. For now."

"She's sorry, Yue," Katara said. "She's been asleep for a long time. You remember her, right, Azula?"

"Am I supposed to?"

"Well, yeah!" Katara said. "Don't you remember us, Yue?"

"I have to remember so much, Katarina, I hardly have time to remember the little people," Yue said, sticking her nose in the air. "That is why I'm asking you to leave. It just won't do should people of actual worth should appear to request a goddess's aid."

"Katara!" Katara shouted, "What happened to you, Yue? You didn't used to be like this!"

"Wasn't I?" Yue asked.

"Well, we can't leave, Yue. We're trapped here! How, how dare you just act like we're nothing after all we've been through together! I can't believe you!"

"You -- you dare speak to a Goddess like that?"

"Yes, we do," Azula added. "I know I have a reputation for being a bit stuck up, but I would hardly call your behavior befitting someone of a higher station. Learn some true class, Yue, before you dare act like you are better than us mortals."

"Yeah!" Katara agreed.

Azula wasn't sure why, but she did feel stronger for that, as if she'd made a bond with Katara, of all people, and it was fueling her. Yue just stared dumb-founded back. And then, she laughed. "Oh, I've misjudged you. You could prove entertaining for my pets."

"What?"

Yue smiled, "My pets," she added, "Who have been quite hungry for something more substantial than pelican-gulls."

"Is that a threat?" Azula asked. This was definitely not the Yue that she knew. "Who are you?"

Azula blinked, her eyes were starting to droop. "What are you doing?" Katara wondered, as Yue's eyes glowed a bright white light. "I, I feel like I'm about to --" she managed to squeeze out before she collapsed to the ground.

Azula stepped forward, "You're not Yue," she struggled to say before falling to her knees. "What sort of monster are you?"

* * *

"Wake up!"

That girl's voice again, that little girl from before.

"If you don't wake up, you're dead!"

Azula tried to focus on opening her eyes. They felt so heavy.

"Are you going to let that stupid moon girl beat you?"

No, Azula managed to think, she wasn't about to be beat by some cheap trick from some imposter moon spirit. She managed to blink open her eyes. The girl, she was nowhere to be seen. Not for the first time, she doubted her sanity.

She felt something wrap tighter around her leg. A vine, but it was moving, not from the wind or her squriming, but like it were some kind of tentacle. "What the --"

the vine was connected to a large creature, which, while a good deal larger, resembled old sketches she saw of a desert plant that got its nutrients from the large lion-bees that lived there. As she began to flail, the planta cted almost as if it could see her, its maw opening and viscous fluids dripped from each of its menacing teeth.

The vines around her became taut and slowly dragged her upwards, towards the plant.

Azula looked around, trying to find any way to break free. She made to reach for her thigh holster when the creature lashed vines out from above her, and wrapped them around her hands. "Let go!" she shouted.

Someone murmured softly, and Azula's eyes darted to the ground. Wrapped around the waist, and held tight, Katara remained unconscious, blissfully unaware of the threat nearby. "Katara! Wake up this instant!" she shouted.

The creature hoisted her clear into the air, inverted.

The gun in her holster fell to the ground, and landed softly. "Katara!" Azula shrieked, "Wake up!"

Somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew she wouldn't die like this. It was too unassuming, too secretive for her death. Azula knew, the day she died, the heavens would be alight with fire by the time she stopped drawing breath.

So, with that clear in her head, she knew that there was no reason to panic. "Katara Floes, if you do not wake up this instant, I will promise you, the moment I get free I will personally feed you to this creature."

Katara murmured some unintelligible words, and shook her head as she stirred. "Who? Who said that?"

Azula frowned. Katara was a morning person, yes, but the few minutes before she began her morning routine she was not precisely the most alert person Azula had known. "It's me, Azula," she said. "I'd appreciate it if you would hurry up and listen to me."

"Azula?" she managed, her eyes fluttering open. "I -- I don't know what happened. Was everything until now a dream --?" Her hands brushed the thick vines wrapped around her waist. And she shrieked in shock and surprise. "What is this thing?" she asked, now perfectly awake.

"Ah, good, already up to speed," Azula said, drolly. "Now, if you don't mind helping me down from here before I get eaten, this is not really the most dignified position I've ever found myself in."

"But, but," Katara stuttered.

"My gun, it's right there next to you," she said, calmly, "Now, pick it up, make sure the safety's off, take aim at the vine holding my leg, and shoot."

"I don't know how to fire a gun!" Katara said. She looked at the small firearm apprehensively. "Isn't there some other way."

"Can you bend yet?" Azula asked, triedly.

"No, I, I can't," Katara said.

"Okay," Azula said, "Then pick up the gun and listen to me. Pick the gun up, carefully, by the handle, make certain you're not playing with the trigger when you do. I don't know if the fall knocked the safety off."

"What's a safety?"

"This is going ridiculous. Okay, it didn't fire, so I'm going to guess it's all right. That said, it's a weapon, not a toy. Do not handle it without complete care."

"I'm not so sure about this," Katara said. She picked up the gun daintily and held it in her hand. "Okay, what now."

"Is the safety on?"

"I don't know! What's a safety!"

"It's over there, no, up a bit. There," she said. "Now, is it off or on?"

"I don't know!"

"Spectacular," Azula said as she was waved about by the hungry looking plant. "Look, Aim at something and pull the trigger. You know how to do that, right?"

"What do I aim for?"

"The plant, the vine, something, anything!"

"Okay!" Katara said, pointing the thing shakily at the large target of the soft insides of the plant's mouth as the teeth-like flaps flapped hungrily. "Here I go!"

She pulled the trigger, and nothing happened.

"Why didn't anything happen?"

"The safety's on," Azula said, tiredly, "Just flip it to the side and try again."

"Oh," Katara said. "Well, here goes nothing!"

She aimed again and fired, shutting her eyes ans shrieking in surprise at the recoil. A bullet tore through the air and struck the creature's insides. It made some strange, unearthly noises as the vines loosened their grip and Azula fell to the ground with no fanfare.

"Ow," she stated, matter-of-factly, after she corrected herself on the ground and brushed her skirt down. "That was unpleasant."

"Okay, do I, do I turn on the safety first and --" Azula grabbed the gun from out of Katara's loose grip, examined it, and with a few minor adjustments, replaced it in her thigh holster. "Oh, okay."

Azula fell into a firebending stance, and she took a deep breath, "Firebending should be easy enough," she said, and with a thrust, threw her hand out forward. To her dismay, the flames formed, but sputtered all too quickly. "This is ridiculous!"

"Uh," Katara said, "I think maybe you should be trying waterbending next."

"Waterbending, against a plant? Do you remember when you did that with that swamp spirit? Don't you think the same thing will happen with this thing?"

"Well," Katara said, "I'm not exactly an amateur waterbender anymore. Splashing water at it would be bad, yes," Katara said. "But let's say we dehydrate it instead."

Azula paused, and looked to her. "Do go on."

"If we can bend the water in the vines, we'll be able to control them, and pull the water straight out of it."

The vines lashed up from the ground, they moved to make a fence surrounding them while the ground began to churn beneath them. "So, how do I bend water, Katara?" she asked. "The Avatar needed a teacher, and you are, to be honest, my opposite element."

"Well," Katara said, swatting away a vine as it rose out of the ground, "First, you need to remember that waterbending is about harmony. You don't command the water, you move with the water. You merely nudge it in the right direction."

Azula looked a bit pensive at that, and then a little annoyed, "All right, how do I nudge?"

"Just, just respect the water and let it know that you're merely dancing with it."

"When did I have to talk to my element?" Azula asked, tiredly.

"You don't have to say it aloud, just don't act like you're the boss, because it won't take that sort of disrespect kindly!" She yelled as a vine wrapped around her. "Hurry it up, Azula, we don't have forever!"

Azula blasted the vines away with a cyclone of air, and concentrated. "All right, water," Azula said, "You lead, I follow." She remembered the old waterbending stances, and from what she'd seen of Katara, falling into those same motions.

The vines stood still, and started to wave in time with Azula, hypnotized. "Yes, that's right," Katara said. "Gentle, like that."

Azula opened her eyes, and smirked. "Gentle, sure," she said. She pulled her arms in and the water gushed out of the plants, leaving the vines withered and dried, and the plant let loose another strange noise as the brown husky color started to spread closer and closer to it.

"Azula, I don't think you should --" there was a loud splash and Azula shouted out angrily. "-- Do that. Oh well."

She was sopping wet. Her hair was clinging to her face and her left eye spasmodically twitched. "I hate your magic water techniques, Floes. I hate them so very much."

Katara sniggered, in spite of herself, "Oh, Azula, you look so pretty like that."

Azula turned her attention back to the creature, rolling her eyes as she shifted to face it. "Seems it's only partially finished. Normally, I wouldn't care, but this thing did try and devour me, and besides -- those vines creeped me out."

She reached her arms out, and pushed back, water draining out of the creature's maw slowly, leaving it a husk of its former self. Grinning confidently, Azula let the water fall to the ground as the creature writhed about. "Was that really necessary?"

"It hung me upside-down," she said, "I'm just lucky the boys weren't around here."

"Where are the boys, anyway?" Katara asked.

"I was asleep just the same as you. That faker did something to us," she said, "She must have done the same to the others. If that voice didn't wake me up, I think we'd both be monster-chow about now."

"I guess," she said, "We need to hurry and find them!"

"In this maze? Good luck," Azula said. "I'm just going to find an exit. If they're resourceful, they'll survive, if not, what's the point in dying to save someone else?"

"What? How can you even think that, Azula!" Katara said, her mouth hanging open. "That's the most heartless thing I've ever heard."

"Do you want to waste away in here, wasting our precious strength, and end up trapped but with our teammates, or do you want to find an exit and maybe some food and a way out of this maze?"

Katara frowned, "I'd rather have my friends than freedom."

"Then you're a fool."

"I'd rather be a fool than a heartless witch!"

"After I save your life, this is how you repay me?" Azula asked.

"You only did that because your life was on the line, too," Katara said, accusingly. Azula smirked and nodded. "You don't do anything for other people, Azula. There's something really, really wrong with you and Aang was just blind to it. If he were still here --"

"But he isn't, is he?" Azula asked.

"No thanks to you," Katara murmured.

"So? What do I care?" Azula said coolly, walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"To find a way out of here."

"Fine! I'm going this way, and trying to find my friends," Katara said, going the opposite direction.

"Do whatever you want, Katara," Azula answered.

"I will."

"Good," Azula continued.

Azula rolled her eyes as Katara headed deeper into the maze, while the garden spread out before her, and she looked for some way towards the center. Her intuition was telling her something was there, in that moonlit gazebo, that would answer her questions and find a way out of this maze.

And, she added wryly in a moment of smug superiority, she'd probably free those fools who got trapped in the maze at the same time.

* * *

"Oh good, you're awake," Yue's voice sweetly rang through the small clearing. "You were asleep when I found you, and I feared one of the monsters that lurk in this garden had found you before I did."

"Yue?" Sokka's voice said, dreamily, "You saved us?"

"Quite," the girl said, "But please, you mustn't be so familiar with me."

"Huh?"

"Oh, please, do not take this the wrong way, but it just won't do to have you acting like you and I are in the same class, Sokka."

Sokka winced. He was used to the Northern Tribe acting superior to his beloved South Pole, but Yue, he always figured, was different. "What happened? Is everyone all right?"

"Your friends are still sleeping," she said, "I hope they'll wake up soon."

Sokka paused. There was something off about Yue. Her eyes seemed different. The twinkle of moonlight was replaced by some inner darkness that reflected in her eyes, like a deep pool of emptiness. She did not seem herself.

She did not, Sokka reflected, seem like a complete person at all.

"What's going on?" Toph asked, pulling herself off from the ground. "One minute I'm conscious, the next I feel like I took a long nap."

"You did," Yue said. "Oh, and Zuko's waking up as well, very good."

"Where's Katara?" Sokka asked, looking around while Zuko regained his footing. "And Azula. They were over there talking while we looked for a way out of here. You didn't see where they went off to."

"Oh," Yue said, the air around her darkened, "They were most disrespectful, so I sent them to think about their lack of manners. To speak to a goddess the way they did? Foolish mortals!" Yue laughed, a cold, shrill sound.

"What -- what did you do, Yue?" Sokka asked, reaching for his sword. He pointed it at Yue, whose smile faded. She looked at the blade, and swatted it aside. Sokka's grip was not firm, and the blade clanged against the cold stone ground.

"How rude," she said. "And here I thought you would be more respectful than those girls."

It seemed for a moment as though the underbrush was louder, lights like eyes glowing and hungry seemed to appear between the branches of the garden, and the path seemed to dim darker as the moon overhead started to wane.

"How dare you! You come into a goddess's domain, you make demands of her, debase her with your wretched familiarity! Do you know who I am?"

Toph even seemed affected by the world around her changing. "What the -- what's with the cold all of a sudden?"

"I am the Moon! Your mortal lives seem like ants to me. You come to my garden, you will abide by my rules, do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yeah --" Sokka stuttered, "Crystal."

The world around them grew lighter, the branches seemed a little less foreboding, and the air seemed to warm. And Yue smiled quite contentedly. "Very good. Though I simply must attend to matters of the gala! The gazebo is hardly in any shape for the other gods and goddesses to see it --" she seemed to think, then clapped her hands together, "How would you three like attending to my pets?"

"What --" Zuko paused, "Assuming we agree, what does that mean?"

"Oh, I like you," she said, sashaying over, "You know how to treat a Goddess. There's just one teensy detail you forget. You don't have a choice!"

"Okay, super," Sokka said, taking a step back. "So, what do we do? Play fetch for a bit, take it on walkies?"

"They'll take you for a walkies, I'm sure," Yue said, happily. "Your sister should have fed my lovely, and rare, Ping Mei Man-Trap, but the others may be quite hungry."

"Fed a man-trap?" Toph muttered, "That doesn't sound good."

"So, do treat them carefully, I'll be upset if I find out you've harmed them in some way," Yue said, turning and walking off with a confident stride. "Oh, and of course, have fun!"

When she was gone, they stared at each other. "That was scary," Sokka said. "I guess being in the Spirit World does things to you."

"There's no way that was really Yue," Zuko scolded, "That imposter -- why would someone do that?"

"I don't know, but I know where we can find out!" Toph said, excitedly, "Let's go to that gazebo. It's right at the center of the maze, right, should be easy!"

There was a roar, in the distance at first, but the lights in the garden grew low, and the eyes started to appear in shadows, watching them. "Uh," Toph managed to say, "Don't try and describe what you're seeing, I got a feeling it's real creepy."

Sokka managed to nod.

A small yellow flower lowered down, unfolding its petals and revealing a large, unblinking eye. The eye watched them, as they slowly moved down the passage back into the depths of the maze.

The rustling through the branches continued.

* * *

Azula carried on through the maze, shivering ever so slightly as the moonlight dimmed into a light trickle. "How am I going to find my way through this place in a light like this?" she wondered, aloud.

She nearly leapt out of her skin when someone responded.

"Oh, you're pretty resourceful, I bet you'll figure it out!"

Azula turned, slowly. "It's you again!" Azula cursed, "You tricked me! Trapped me in this -- this prison!" She about lashed out her nails at the little girl in black, who smiled undeterred by Azula's rage. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Whoopsie."

"Whoopsie?" Azula's ire raised. "How dare you!"

"How dare you!" the little girl laughed, "You sound like the pompous girl who controls this garden. Well, since it's you, I'll help you out, but only because it's you."

"Help me out?" Azula managed to snort out, "You got me into this mess, why should I trust you?"

"That's a good point, but you came for me, so that makes everything all better. You'll never leave me, right? Promise me!"

Azula thought through several responses, and realized that it was in her best interest to play along for the time being. Though she had no intentions of keeping her word, she said, with a smile, "Of course, how could I?"

"Naughty!" the girl said, "You're lying! You're lying!"

Azula paused. How could that girl tell, not even Toph's trained skills could see through her lies. She was so used to lying, she did it as second nature. This girl -- "I'm sorry," Azula said, scowling, "But there's truth there. How can I? You seem to find me no matter where I go."

"I guess that's true," the girl said, and Azula smiled as she nodded in agreement, "Okay, then. Since it's you, I'll tell you a secret. There's only one way through this maze, and that's the path of the Moon Lilies."

"Moon lilies?"

"That's right!" she said, "If you're smart, you'll know how to find them!"

"All right, I'll look for them."

That girl was more helpful than Lee ever was, Azula thought wryly as she continued down the darkening passageways. The passages led through overgrown trees that drooped long willowy leaves down in front of her, veiling it like a curtain drawn over a door. She pushed them aside. "Moon lilies, I've heard of those before. But it seems odd that they'd be growing in a garden like this, don't you think?"

She turned, and saw the girl had gone.

"Who are you talking to?" it was Katara's voice.

"What are you doing here?" Azula asked, accusingly. She tried her hardest to throw off the scent of embarrassment onto Katara. "Didn't you say you were going your own way."

"I was! They just happened to overlap," Katara said, evasively. "It's not like I was listening out for you or someone. I thought you were Sokka!"

"Oh, right," Azula said. "Keep an eye open for moon lilies."

"Moon lilies?" Katara said, quietly, "You mean those pretty flowers that glow in the dark?"

Azula's eyes widened. "Yes," she said, "That's exactly it. If only the moon wasn't so bright, we'd be able to find our way out of here."

"What gave you the idea to look for moon lilies, anyway?"

"A little girl told me," she said, "She seems to have wandered off again. A peculiar girl," she said, "A spirit, perhaps."

"A spirit, here?" Katara said, "No way! There's no way spirits are breaking out of the Spirit World. If that were the case, then Aang would have sacrificed himself for nothing."

Azula's ears perked. "Sacrificed?"

"Nothing, never mind," Katara quickly said. "It's none of your business anyway!" She gasped, "There! I see some moon lilies!"

She pointed at a faintly glowing white flower that peeked through the bushes and swayed in the wind. The moonlight seemed to enhance the white and turn it into brilliant silver, which lit the passage at their feet.

"Amazing," Azula said, "They seem even more radiant than I remember."

"Come on, Azula," Katara said, "We need to find a way to get a message to the others. I wish we'd been more prepared for being split up."

"We'll figure it out," Azula said. "Let's move."

The path led a winding way through the passages, turning into a small tunnel that led underground. The lilies shone brightly, and they became the only light they saw as they came deep into the tunnel.

Then, they stopped in front of a massive ornate door. The frame was carved from a dark wood that reflected the light from the flowers by its glossy finish. The door itself, however, was a slight bit confusing.

"It's floating in the middle of nowhere."

"But," Katara said, "The flowers seem to lead to it."

"Is this really the way to the center?" Azula asked. "Peculiar."

"We're not exactly in a land of normal things. Think of it like Yomi. That place never stayed the same. I saw the floors shift and change around me before."

"You're right," Azula said, "This is normal -- for us."

"So, what are you waiting for?" Katara said, "Open it. Leader."

Azula shot her a dangerous glance, and reached for the door. The handle, silver and curved, turned easily under her hand. She twisted it open and pulled it towards her. Katara gasped in surprise.

In front of them lay the Northern Water Tribe's capital city, its massive icy fortifications looming on the horizon.

_To be continued._


	4. Cracks in the Past

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Talkin' how they've become the blue saints, above cold ground wondering if light flows down."_

_- Want to be Close -Reincarnation-_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 3: **_Cracks in the Past_

"The never-melting walls," Katara breathed, "I'd only heard stories" Centuries ago, the Northern Water Tribe built their city out of the ice, and not just in small shelters like the south did, but in a massive fortress that spawned the length of the tundra.

The view from the top of the mighty rampart spread wide across the sea, masses of ice floated benignly in the distance and the crowing song of a mammoth-whale in the distance Tourists lined the length of the rampart, to catch a glimpse of them as the pods surfaced for air.

Katara couldn't tear her eyes away from it, but Azula frowned, coldly. "This is a waste of time. Where are we?"

"The North Pole --"

"I know that," she snapped, stopping Katara before she could go further, "But where are we exactly? How is this place connected to the maze we were in before?"

"That's a good question," she said, furrowing her brow. "Sokka would have some ideas, I'm sure of it, but I don't know. I mean, I could toss out some suggestions, but--"

"That won't be necessary." Azula put a hand up, and with her other hand tapped her cheek, "We clearly do not have enough information."

"Fine, just ignore me then. What's your suggestion, then, ask everyone, 'Why are we in the North Pole and not in a creepy overgrown garden wtih rotten fruit?"

Azula sighed, tiredly. "Yes, let's do that, of course, we will either be talking to people who won't respond because they're illusions, or receive strange looks because we've somehow been thrown hurtling into the North Pole."

"No, really," Katara glibly muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Still," Azula said, "The Phoenix Group building is still under repairs."

"What's strange about that?"

"At least before you left me in the Spirit World, the North Pole headquarters was not in any dire need of repairs. But you can see the tower there in the distance under repair." Azula paused, and thought further, "Or reconstruction." She paused and grabbed a man off the street. He was Fire Nation judging by his clothes, and he was carrying a camera. "Yes?" he asked, a bit surprised, "Can I help you?"

"Here on vacation? Us too," Azula said. The man looked them over.

"A bit cold to be wearing school uniforms like that. Where are they from?"

"Ba Sing Se," Azula said, tiredly, "Actually, my dear father works at the Phoenix Group building downtown, and I hadn't heard how the reconstruction was going."

"Oh, you heard about that?" the man said, "Old Azulon okay'd that a few weeks ago. He's so busy boasting over Iroh's projects that he'll okay anything Ozai slips on his desk -- oh, you didn't hear that from me, though."

"Indeed," Azula said, "Well, I guess it won't be done any time soon. That's too bad, I wanted to see the top office."

"Ah, well, that's Mr. Ozai's office --"

"Are you implying my father wouldn't know Mr. Ozai?"

"I -- I guess not."

"Thank you for your time," Azula said, turning back to Katara, "Just as I suspected."

"Your dad worked here?" Katara asked, "Why didn't you ever say you'd been to the North Pole."

"I'm certain I must have mentioned it in passing once or twice," Azula said, tiredly, "And to be honest, the day to day grind of how my father reached the rank of President hardly interested me. As far as I was concerned, he just gave me the relatively simple task of surpassing Zuzu to attain the same degree of power."

Katara frowned. She hesitantly said, "Your father, after you --"

"I don't particularly care to hear the details," Azula said, "If you survived, you must have defeated my father in some means, probably killed him. I can come to terms with that. That I can ignore," she said.

She brushed by Katara, and whispered, "But it isn't something I can so easily forgive."

"Azula, we didn't -- wait, I'm the one who should be angry at you!"

"I don't care," Azula said, waving her hand, "It's easier for me to pretend that he just didn't exist. Like so many other people in my life, he's disappointed me in being so weak as to lose to you."

Though, to be honest, Azula wondered why her heart ached when she said that. To say her father and her were close would be an oversimplification. They weren't, in the traditional sense, affectionate. He lived through her viscerally, and it was somewhat difficult to say whether he loved her or what she meant for his ambitions.

And still, she couldn't ignore, that he did not abandon her. Disappointment was only one of the myriad emotions that made up their relationship. But, in a lot of ways, love was not.

"We can confirm this place is real, as well," Azula said. "At least, real enough to have people who can hold a conversation."

"So, what do you think this is?"

"I don't know, yet," Azula said. "But I have started to form a few theories."

Azula started down the stairs towards the canal-ways below that formed the majority of the transportation through the old city. While the new city that loomed in the distance across the tundra that spread around the old city gleamed with new buildings of iron and stone, the old city remained as ever comprised of ice and snow.

"The canals are the easiest way around, but don't be foolish and think a boat is quicker than walking. They're little more than tourist cash grabs," Azula warned.

"So you've been here before, because of your dad?" Katara asked, wincing a bit as she mentioned Ozai. "Did he show you around the city?"

"Hardly, father was busy," Azula said, "Always busy. But mother showed us around." Katara winced at the mention of Azula's mother out of reflex. She knew Zuko rarely spoke of her, but when he did, it was with warmth and happiness. When Azula mentioned the word, it sounded like a curse.

"Really," Katara said, "Must have been fun."

"Oh yes, staring at mammoth-whales for hour then sitting on a freezing boat where your coats get stuck to the seat if you don't move every few minutes, the ideal time for mother-daughter bonding."

"I wish mom could have seen this place," Katara said, "My Gran-Gran came from the north. She spoke of it only once in a while."

"So?" Azula asked, "I didn't ask for your life story, Katara."

Katara winced again, and closed her mouth, following Azula down the canals. She wondered where Azula was leading her, uanware that Azula was wondering the same thing at this moment. Though her gold eyes were cast at the icy ground below, she cast a glance to the canal.

"I suppose to you this is much mroe accomodating than Ba Sing Se or the Fire Nation. How good for you."

"Oh, I'm used to Ba Sing Se," Katara said, "I kind of prefer it. Back home, you had to always wear heavy coats or sweaters to keep warm, and there were times when you just did not go out. If a snowstorm hit while you were out, you could be lost for days, or worse."

"I see," Azula said.

"Change your mind about my life story?" Katara asked, mockingly. "I really can't figure you out, Azula."

"I try to be interesting," Azula said.

"Where are we even going?"

"I don't know," she said, "I can't figure out if this is really the North Pole or not. And if it's really ten years ago --"

"Ten years ago!" Katara's eyes widened.

"That's what I figure, my best estimate if those construction crews started only a few months ago. And I know what you're thinking. Yes, it is about time for that to happen. Which is what makes this all the more worrisome."

"Do you think the accident has anything to do with this maze?"

"I have my theories," Azula hissed.

"That means you don't know. If it really has something to do with the accident ten years ago, then, what does that mean happened to everything we fought for?"

"Oh, Spirits forbid you be wrong, of course," Azula said, wryly.

Katara shot her a dirty glance, which Azula just shook her head to. "We fought for the right reasons. Aang fought for the right reasons."

"What do I care what Aang did or didn't do," Azula said, "What's important now is getting out of this maze and leaving the dorm. We can discuss the finer points of our life philosophies later, if you so desire."

"Me? Want to talk to you? No thanks."

"Suit yourself," Azula answered.

She stood on a bridge over the canals and glanced down, watching the moon look at the stars lonesomely. Katara followed her, looking out on the boats. "I think we should head towards the Chief's Halls," Katara said.

"That seems logical," Azula said, "We can assume that the only thing connecting the garden and this place is Yue."

Katara smiled, "Well, that's my guess. I picked up a few things listening to Aang and Sokka talk back and forth about all those crazy theories about the Spirit World and the Tower." Azula started towards the hall, and left Katara to follow behind her.

"Same old Azula," Katara muttered, her eyelids drooping as she grew more and more annoyed, "Not a kind word to anyone."

She followed after, but stopped when a streak of white caught her eye, as it tumbled down a seven year old girl's back, a girl whose hair and dress were far ornate to be any normal child. Katara gasped.

It was Yue.

* * *

The garden seemed to wind along endlessly, plants formed horrible barriers of thorns and lashers, Sokka felt Toph's grip on him tighten as the noises returned in the dimming light of the waning moon overhead.

"What was that?"

"Toph, are you scared?" Sokka asked, teasingly. She squeezed his arm tight enough that he started to hear cracks. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?" he asked as she loosened the grip.

"Idiot," Toph muttered. "Of course I'm not scared. I'm Toph Bei Fong, nothing scares me!"

"This place gives me the creeps," Zuko said. He swiped his Dao Blades at one of the barriers, "Flowers made of steel." The thorns caught hold of the blade, and Zuko pulled back, grunting angrily, "Just made to infuriate us."

"What I'm worried about is those pets that Yue lookalike was talking about," Sokka said. "We've been going around in circles for like an hour and I've not seen anything that could be thought of as a pet."

They walked down a narrow passage, the whitewashed arches were covered in deep green foliage, with a few drooping white flowers that glowed a serene color in the moonlight. "That's a pretty flower."

"Moon lilies," Zuko said, "My mother kept some of those. They're known for their luminescent petals. They absorb light from the sun and release it at night. It looks almost like moonlight."

"I didn't figure you for a gardening type, Sparks."

"I'm not," Zuko said. "They're beautiful flowers. Odd to see them hanging from an arch like that."

"I've seen a couple of them around," Sokka said. "The other plants seem a little more overgrown, but these ones are nice."

"Well, at least you guys found something nice in this garden. I'm sure your girlfriends will love it if you pick some as presents for them. Now, are we done so we can find a way out of this creep-zone?"

"Oh, right," Sokka said. "Well, we've been going left a lot. Maybe we should take a right."

The passage became so narrow the only way they could pass was in single file. Sokka took the lead with Toph right behind him, hand on his back. Zuko took up the rear, looking at the moon lilies that seemed to be numerous along the path.

His eyes caught a glimpse of something else under the brush, and he paused. "Sokka, slow down."

"What?"

"I got a bad feeling in my gut," Zuko said, "Something's here."

"Nothing's here!" Sokka said, turning around. He started down the passage. "You're just getting paranoid in your old age, Zuko."

"You're the same age," Zuko muttered.

"Guys, I'm getting some weird vibrations," Toph said.

"Like your earthbending used to give you?" Zuko asked. She nodded. "What sort of vibrations?"

"I don't know. I feel like I can almost see but it's just so fuzzy and hard to right now. Why do you think I'm using you guys to lead me around, I'm all confused."

"Well," Zuko said, "Keep alert. If you feel any change, let us know --"

"There!" Toph said, "It's moving!"

Sokka shouted in surprise as his foot caught on a twig, and yet, when he tried to release himself from the twig's grasp, it simply tightened its grip. "Whoa!" he tried to swipe at it with his sword, but the weapon just caused the grip to tighten further and pull him into the underbrush. "Help!"

Zuko and Toph reached for him, Toph managing to grab him by sheer luck, while Zuko held a firm grip to his wrist, "What did you do?" Zuko asked.

"Trip," Sokka said, angrily, "It's not like it's my fault that this garden wants to kill us!"

"Too soon to say that for sure," Toph grunted, pulling back, "You've put on a ton of pounds, Sokka. Are you all chubby now and I don't know it?"

"I'm not chubby!" Sokka shouted, "I've just been working out!"

"Yeah, whatever,' Zuko grunted pulling back. "What's got a hold on you anyway?"

"I don't know, it just -- Yikes!" Sokka felt the grasp on his ankle release and the three of them went rolling into the scratchy brush behind them. There was the sound of rustling in the brush as whatever it was that had grabbed Sokka vanished once again into the dark garden.

"What the --" Sokka managed to breathe, "Okay, this place is officially on my avoid list from now on."

"Tell me about it," Toph grunted. "You weigh a ton! You got fat while I was totally blind, didn't you? Tell me the truth, Zuko, Sokka's fat now, isn't he?"

"He has packed on a few pounds," Zuko smirked. "Come on, we shouldn't hang around in case it gets the idea to try again."

"I am not fat!" Sokka yelled, "Zuko, tell her!"

"Whatever you say, butterchubs," Toph said, smirking as they headed down the path, away from the soft glow of moon lilies.

* * *

The little girl stared back at Katara, almost terrified that she'd been recognized despite her best attempts to remain unnoticed. She stopped and just looked at Katara, waiting for some reaction, something. "Yue?"

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"I'm -- uh --" Katara suddenly wished Azula hadn't wandered off ahead like that. She was being awfully familiar with a princess who she wouldn't meet for another ten years. She'd have to think quick not to raise suspicions. "I'm from the Southern Tribe. You probably don't remember me, but we've met."

"Oh, uh," Yue looked anxious. "Uh," she seemed to not know what to say. Katara rolled her eyes slightly. The North had, since the war, acted as though they were the superior tribe. While the South had modernized, the North was slower to do so due to their history.

Which made it perfect for creating such an excuse. It just wasn't in Yue's character to be anything but polite, especially when the Southern Tribe was mentioned. And it wasn't in actuality a lie, it just disregarded the fact that it was ten years too early.

Azula would have been proud, Katara thought, suppressing a groan of annoyance.

"I'm sorry," she said, "You're right. Are you, are you here to take me back to Daddy?"

"No," she said, "What were you doing all alone? You could have been in trouble. Do you have an escort?"

"Well," Yue nodded slowly, "One of my minders came with me, but I'm lost and I'm scared."

"Why are you scared?"

"I don't know how to get home, and Daddy will be cross," she said, looking like a seven year old girl caught stealing from the cookie jar. Katara smiled, mysteriously.

"Well, then it's your lucky day. I was on my way there just now. A friend of mine is there waiting for me, I'm sure of it. We'll sneak you back in, no problem! Your dad won't even know you were gone."

"Really?" Yue's eyes widened, "That's wonderful!" But her enthusiasm was short lived. Apprehension took over, and she looked aside, "Are you sure I can trust you? I mean, I hear all about how people from the Southern Tribe --"

"Do you believe it?"

"Daddy says they're exaggerating."

"Do you trust your dad?" Yue nodded. "Then it's okay. We're not bad people, not all of us."

"Okay," Yue said, apprehensively taking Katara's hand. Part of her was shocked by how real the touch felt, still not having accepted this as anything more than a complex illusion. if this was real -- if this was the past -- then was she actually interfering?

"Is something wrong?" Yue asked. "I thought we were going home."

"Oh, right," Katara said, weakly.

"You look really pale. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm just a little sick," she said, "I was living in Ba Sing Se, and I was a little unprepared for how chilly it is."

"Oh," Yue said. "I was sick once. When I was small."

"Oh?" Katara decided to let Yue tell her the story, it seemed to take the girl's attention off of her, and let her calm down.

"Daddy said the spirits saved me. Do you believe in spirits?"

"Of course I do," Katara said.

"Oh. 'cause everyone laughed at me when I said that."

"Everyone?"

Yue nodded. "I went to the playground. I always wanted to go, but Daddy didn't think it was a good idea."

"Oh."

"Everyone thought I was being silly."

"You're not," Katara said. "Spirits are real, and they're powerful."

"Yes! That's what I said!" Yue said, her eyes brightening.

"I've met a few, too," Katara said, smiling.

"Oh! Really? Really?" Yue's eyes were so bright they were dazzling. They almost glowed like the moon. Katara was struck by that. Even now, with only a fragment of that power inside her, she seemed to be a tiny goddess.

"Really. A bunch. I got my face stolen by Koh, I once helped the Ocean Spirit out of a bind, and I even came face to face with a fire spirit."

Yue seemed absolutely taken by this, and Katara continued telling her stories. Every so often, she'd be interrupted by Yue's thrilled questions. "What was it like without a face?"

"Inconvenient, but surprisingly comfortable."

"Wow!"

"And one of my best friends is the moon spirit," Katara said. "We were so close, but then we had to part because Spirits and Humans have different worlds, and our worlds needed us."

"Oh," Yue said, "The Moon Spirit saved my life. He's wonderful!"

No, Katara said, he's not. Perhaps when he saved her, he was, but the memory Katara had of that wretched spirit was more terrifying. Swallowing her up, La stole every ounce of energy he'd given Yue, and then some. The Spirit World's corruption was so complete that he became little more than an amorphous blob.

In her brother's words, which he often reminded them, a giant moon amoeba.

"Is something wrong?" Yue asked, "You didn't finish your story."

"I'm all right," Katara said, "I'm just remembering something."

"Oh."

"Well, we shouldn't dally around, Yue," Katara said. "We're almost there."

Katara didn't notice that Yue's footsteps left a tiny crack in the surface of the ice, and she didn't notice that she had been ever since the two of them met. Behind them, the city, despite the fact that people walked through them without a single care, without even noticing them there, was covered in cracks large enough to split the city into pieces.

And they continued to grow.

* * *

Buzzing never sounded quite so ominous.

It wasn't precisely buzzing. Buzzing was high-pitched and annoying, this was rather lower in pitch, due in large part that the buzzing sound of the wings had just been magnified about ten fold.

The bee creature was about as large as a man. It descended upon the garden in front of Sokka and caused him to leap back. Zuko grunted, and glared at Sokka, "No sudden moves."

"That thing's huge. I don't think I've ever seen an animal like that. What is it, a whale-bee?"

"Could be,"

"Could be a bear-bee," Toph added.

"You can't see it."

"I can hear it. Sounds like a big bug. So, when I think big, I think bear."

"I've never heard of anything like that," Zuko muttered, "Whatever it is, let's try and keep well away."

Its long appendages ended in massive claws that tore away at the bushes in its pursuit of pollen for whatever purpose a large bee-like monster would have for pollen, Sokka reasoned. "Maybe we should find another way."

It sniffed in close for whatever it sought.

And was pulled straight into the brush. Cracks, squeals and then a sickening thud and silence were all the group needed to hear to slow them to a stop. "What the --"

A low growl rattled through the archways around them as they all felt it move closer and closer. Whatever it was hid just behind the bushes, its low hiss producing a warm air that crept up their legs.

"Guys," Toph said, "What's that noise?"

"I don't know," Sokka said, "But be ready for anything. It's close."

Zuko closed his eyes and focused on the sound. Sokka watched him, and catching on with a quick startled statement followed suit. "We need to be ready. It could come from any direction."

The breathing became heavier and heavier and then stopped. The moment of silence that fell was hardly any consolation. The sound of the bear-bees overhead hummed a dark tune as they came closer.

Toph's eyes widened as her entire body shook from the sudden vibration. She knew how to read it. "Below us!"

From beneath their feet, large talon-like gnarled hands shot forth and grabbed their legs. Zuko drew his Dao Blades and struck at them with as much force as he could muster, and the result was unexpected. The claws released him, however, something shouted in pain.

The ground tore open, and a large creature with ancient, ashen colored bark along its skin emerged, long twig-like appendages flailing. The ironbark creature pulled Sokka and Toph into the air as it rose, and looked with its long, carved face at Zuko.

It snarled in rage and swung one of its branches at him. Being hit by the monster's backhand hurt more than he expected, he felt like half his face had been crushed in and he hit the brush with no fanfare.

"Ow," Sokka muttered. "Hey, Zuko, are you okay?"

"Peachy," he said spitting out some blood, "Sokka, try and cut yourself and Toph loose. I think we met one of Yue's so-called pets."

The creature hunched close to the ground, its smaller arms like branches rising high into the air, swinging Toph and Sokka around as it did. "Hard to when - urp - we're being tossed around like we're at a traveling carnival."

"Stop complaining and do it!" Zuko shouted. The creature moved to him crawling on its larger, primary arms and legs. It moved like a rhino, plodding across and slamming the free branch-arms into Zuko. The Delinquent Prince rolled with the attack, but was still knocked clean across the passage.

"Ow," Sokka said, in sympathy as he tried to steady himself. "Okay, come on sword, do your thing!" He swung it in a large arc downwards and struck the branches where they split. The grip loosened and as the ironbark creature turned to face down Zuko again, Sokka tumbled down to the ground.

"Oh thanks!" Toph said when she heard him land, "Forget all about me why don't you?"

"Zuko, think you can pin this thing down?" Sokka asked, going for his boomerang, "Toph needs to be let down before we can really prune this thing."

"Yeah, sure," Zuko said, his voice raising in anger as he moved, "I'll just find a nice pot to put it in."

"Great!"

"He was being sarcastic, Snoozles!"

"I know that," Sokka said. The creature swung wide, waving around Toph like a decoration in the wind. She moaned as her stomach churned from the sudden shift of directions as the ironbark creature swung its other massive limb at Zuko.

"If I had my bending this would be a cinch," Zuko muttered, using the twin Dao Blades to catch the limb mid-swing and lock it in place. The creature looked perplexed at the intricate maneuver, and it hissed a low sound. "What are you waiting for! Now!"

Sokka let the boomerang fly just as the creature turned its head to see what exactly his prey was yelling at. The boomerang clanged against the branch and its claw released, dropping Toph unceremoniously to the ground.

The creature turned around.

The sound of buzzing returned to the air. However, unlike before, the noise was even louder, and the sky seemed ever darker. The distant light of moon lilies grew ever brighter as the sky darkened. The creature, however, focused by its rage, did not see. It charged Sokka who barely managed to scurry out of the way as the creature's many-limbed back swung to pick him up again.

"Move it !" Zuko shouted. The creature remained focused on Sokka, snarling and hissing. "Sokka, we got to get out of here before --"

The first bear-bee landed on the creature with a loud clang as its stinger collided with the ironbark on its back. The creature reeled back and turned around, tearing the bee-wings off of the bear-bee's back with trained precision.

"It's an entire ecosystem here," Zuko muttered, "That creature hides in the bushes waiting for those bear-bees to descend on them for pollen, and pulls them in and tears them apart. But to survive," Zuko paused.

Another descended, and another, numbers great enough to swell the sky with anbearable beating of wings. "Guys, let's just go!" Toph said. The loud hiss of pain from the ironbark monster caused her to shiver, "Before they think we're with him."

The creatures turned and stared at them. "You had to say something," Sokka groaned. They took off into the air. "Run away!"

The bear-bees pursued them just above the brush of the maze. The three didn't turn around to look behind them, the large sound of the mass of beating wings got louder and louder as they ran. "This way," Zuko said, pointing to a covered passageway.

The small white fenced archways did little to deter the bear-bees, their massive steel stingers bursting through in front of them as they descended to try and skewer. "This sucks," Sokka said. "Zuko, remind me to never let Yue have pets anymore."

"Don't need to tell me twice," Zuko grumbled.

* * *

The sky itself was beginning to crack when Katara arrived at the main hall of the Northern Water Tribe Chief. Azula was busy talking to one of the guards when they saw Katara and Yue walking together. "Princess!"

Azula turned back, and was about to say something when her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry," Katara said to the guard, "She was walking around lost. She's a little scared her father's going to scold her so would you try and sneak her in?"

"Her nursemaid came back a while ago and caused quite a fuss," Azula said, "That won't be possible." She looked at Yue, "You need to be more careful, little girl, about who you drag into your little schemes."

"It wasn't -- I didn't --"

"How dare you speak to the Princess like that," the guard snapped.

"She nearly cost you lot your jobs," Azula said, "She's a princess, she has duties, responsibilities that she cannot shirk for her own desire to be normal like everyone else."

"I don't like you," Yue pouted.

"Azula, she's just a little girl," Katara whispered, "Can't you be nicer?"

"I wouldn't tolerate anyone talking down to me when I was her age, I merely treat them how I would want to be treated."

"Come along, Princess," the guard said. "Thank you for your help, miss. I'm sure the Chief will want to reward you."

"It's nothing," Azula said, "Just simple charity. We must get going." Azula dragged Katara aside and turned her around, "What did you do?"

"What did I do ---" she stopped and stared. The sky was falling to pieces, long, spindly cracks wrapped around the world, tearing apart everything and shining an ominous glow on everything. "What happened? What's with all those cracks?"

"I don't know, but that guy was looking behind me the whole time and didn't say anything. We might be the only ones who can see it. Did you just cause a paradox?"

"No!" Katara shouted, "At least, I don't think so, I mean, how can I cause a paradox, this isn't real, right?"

"We don't know what this is," Azula said, "That's why we need to step lightly. And you just come here with Yue like it was nothing."

"Oh, this looks bad," Katara said. "I hope I haven't done anything serious."

"I don't remember hearing any news about Yue going missing, I imagine it would have been a big news story ten years ago if she did. Still," Azula said, "It's a bit worrying that she should now know you before she ever met you."

"I'm sorry!"

"You fool!" Azula scolded.

"I said I'm sorry,' Katara said, "There's no going back now, so we just have to fix it."

"I don't think there is any fixing, we just have to hope that there's no lasting damage," Azula said. "What is this labyrinth anyway?"

"I don't know," Katara said, "But what do we do about it?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Azula hissed. "Let's -- let's see where they're most severe, maybe there'll be a clue as to what this is about there. That's all I can think of."

"Azula, at a loss?" Katara asked, honestly surprised, "I didn't think that was possible."

Azula frowned, her eyes turning cold as she glowered at Katara. Katara weakly smiled and shrugged. The two of them walked past the cracks, leaping over them wherever they were cracked enough to form a fissure in the land.

Watching people pass these cracks was almost like looking at a crack in a mirror, they seemed to appear on both sides, a little fragmented because of the crack, until they emerged on the opposite side whole and untouched.

The canal itself was even shattered along the lines of the crack, but instead of spilling down into the crack, the surface of the water itself seemed to be cracked, almost like it were merely glass over top of the canalway.

Boats caused the most pecular looking shapes as they passed over them, especially along the most severe, where they seemed to bend and distort horribly into multiple bows, going every direction imaginable.

"This is so strange," Katara said.

"They don't seem to notice it at all, even as they walk over them," Azula said, "These are real people, they must be."

"This is just making my head ache," Katara said.

"Perhaps it's best we just accept that this is what it is, the Northern Water Tribe Capital, and leave it at that."

The streets became more and more cracked and shattered as they approached the place Yue and Katara had met. It was with a growing sense of dread in the pit of Katara's stomach that she began to recognize the places. "I don't like this."

"What is it?"

"It was here, I saw Yue and --"

"Indeed," Azula smirked, "Now you believe that I'll be upset? You're right, there's no going back and fixing it, but we can, of course, learn from this. And you've presented us an invaluable opportunity. I'm quite pleased, actually."

"You're what?"

"Pleased," Azula said. "Now, we merely have to figure out what this is and what we do about it."

Katara looked over at Azula and saw that she was staring down. The place she'd met Yue was shattered much more severely than anywhere else, in fact, it was pretty much completely smashed apart, with pieces of the canal and its passageways floating in mid air like fragments of Earth Kingdom plate that had shattered then froze in mid air.

And through the crack, a large winding passageway made of stone, with large, overgrown plants, led ever downwards towards a point too distant to see.

"What the --" Katara gasped.

"I think we've found our way out of here."

* * *

"Oh this is just fan-_tas_-tic!" Sokka said. "First we get stuck in a maze, and now it's trying to eat us! This is so unfair, at least with the Spirit World we knew it was out to get us."

"Literally," Toph muttered.

They were stuck between a swarm of bear-bees and what looked like a mass of briars. They held the gateways closed, and from somewhere deep within the bushes, there was a sound of snapping.

The bear-bees were the more immediate threat, and Zuko turned to face them. "No more running. We're men, right, Sokka?"

"Oh man, macho time," Toph muttered, "Fine, get yourselves stung, no skin off my back."

"Until they turn their attention onto you," Sokka muttered. He gripped his sword tight in his hand. "Look, I've got to be honest with you, I'm a little rusty."

"No time like the present to practice," Zuko said. "We tear those monsters apart, and then we deal with whatever happens next."

The bear-bee swarm slowed as the two boys readied their attack. They began to charge when a sudden vibration stopped them in their tracks. Both bug and boy gaped in awe as a large mass of tangled vines erupted from the bushes. Small flowers along the vines gave off a faintly pleasant smell that was just a little overly saccharine, making it just slightly nauseating.

"What the --" Toph muttered. She turned her feet, "Guys, be careful."

"What do you got for us, Toph?"

"More of those things, Matchstick," she said, "Coming from your side."

The lashing vines emerged with a great tremor, and Zuko turned and struck the vine before it could knock him down. The vine sliced off, wriggling like a worm on the ground before stopping. Another struck at Zuko's right side, and knocked him down.

Sokka turned and slashed it in two. "Any more?"

"Coming up!" Toph said. "I can feel it in my soles."

The vines lashed around the swarm and tore them down into the brush with a terrifying silencing snap. The swarm slowly dismantled, the vines lashing out faster and faster. Sokka managed to deflect another bunch while Zuko climbed to his feet, rubbing his side. "This is totally sucking," Sokka muttered.

"You didn't get hit by one of them. It was like taking a hundred water whips to the side," he muttered.

"I thought you liked that kind of thing."

"Very funny."

"I thought so," Sokka said with a smirk. "Toph, got any heads ups?"

"Nope," Toph said, "Things got real quiet suddenly."

"That's not a good sign," Just as the stillness settled in, there was an uneasy feeling in the air, as if the entire garden was being devoured by the approaching presence. The bushes rattled as something moved through them, prowling, predatorial. Each of their thoughts occupied by one all-consuming question: what sort of creature was next?

Then it flopped out of the brush.

It was a tadpole with glimmering specks on its back like starlight.

"Oh, this ought to be good," Sokka muttered, rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, it's going to kick our butts the second we start laughing at it."

"It's cute," Zuko muttered, "It looks like someone's pet."

The group suddenly stood chilled.

"Oh no," Sokka said, "Do you think this is --"

"-- It has to be --"

" --this is stupid!" Toph yelled. "It's cute? That's the best description you have for it. Okay, maybe my senses are dulled, but even I can tell it's like two feet long. Maybe big for a normal thing, but for a spirit? That's tiny."

"Yeah," Zuko said, "But it's -- some kind of tadpole."

"What's a tadpole?"

"It's -- how do you not know what a tadpole is? Like, Bullfrogs start out that way, but those ones usually have little stubby horns on them." Sokka groaned, "What is that thing?"

"So what do we do?" Toph asked.

"Well, we leave it alone," Zuko said, "It's not bothering us."

"Right, good plan, Zuko," Sokka said, taking the lead. He sidled past the tadpole, carefully, slowly, trying not to make the slightest provocation. The tadpole watched him, curiously. Then it bounded after him, like a puppy.

"What the --"

"It likes you," Zuko said, "That's not exactly what I expected."

"It doesn't look very scary," Sokka said. "Actually, I think it's kind of cute."

"It's a spirit," Zuko warned, "They can be cute one minute and terrifying the next."

"Well, you said to leave it alone," Toph said, "So what's the harm in it following us."

"None, I guess. All right, let's find a way out of this maze."

The tadpole followed them as they wandered down a winding passageway under white painted arches. The moon lilies lit the path as they descended into a tunnel through a small hill. "Pretty," Sokka commented.

"We've got to be close to the exit by now," Toph groaned, "It feels like we've been walking for hours, and I'm hungry!"

"Plants, plants, everywhere," Sokka moaned, "And not a fruit to eat."

Even the tadpole looked hungry.

"Let's just keep moving forward, maybe we'll have some luck for a change."

* * *

"Azula, wait up!"

Katara could hardly believe Azula just leapt down there without a worry or care. She landed on the stone and looked up. "Katara!" she called, "Hurry."

Katara hesitated, before leaping down.

The area around her seemed stuck in the middle of space, winding down towards a door not much different from the one they entered in. It was something unusual, but she'd seen worse. She looked at Azula, who was already walking down the path, and called for her to wait.

"We don't have time to waste," Azula said.

"Isn't it weird," Katara said, "We're just floating around in space."

"Perhaps this is what time travel feels like." Azula said, smirking.

"If it is, I don't want to get used to it," she said. "Still, this maze ran through the past. Yue's past, too. Do you think --"

"I don't like to assume," she said, "But, there are two possibilities."

"Well, maybe that imposter Yue isn't, you know, an imposter."

Azula pondered that. She'd briefly thought about that, but disregarded it. After all, the boy, Lee, had said to her to "Beware the Moon's twin." If anyone fit that description it was the girl who had trapped them with that man eating plant.

Azula shook her head, "No. That possibility seems unlikely."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Someone told me something that makes me think otherwise," she said, "I think we'll know for certain by the time we reach the end of the maze."

"That seems so long from now."

"Maybe" Azula approached the door. It seemed unlocked, but there was no handle to be found. Placing her hand on it, Azula pulled away suddenly as the door creaked slowly and pushed open. "Well, shall we?"

Katara glanced through the door.

There was a soft sound coming from nearby. "Is someone crying?"

Azula frowned, "I think we may be nearing the end sooner than you think, Katara. Come on, if my theory's right, then we'll have our answers through that door."

She leapt through with Katara right behind.

There was no door behind them when they emerged, just a long stretch that lead to a dead end. Azula focused on in front of them. That sound was louder and more distinct as they moved closer.

"Is someone out there?" Katara asked. Azula slapped her hand to her forehead.

"Who's there?" the voice said, stopping the sobbing. Her voice was so gentle, so weak, so fragile that she sounded ephemeral. "Please, if you've come to torment me, no more --"

Katara knew that voice all too well.

"Yue?"

Azula smirked, "And my theories continue to come together."

_To be continued._


	5. Shadow

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"I thought I told y'all to sit down or get down. I'm about'a hit ground."_

_- Mass Destruction FES_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter Four: **_Shadow_

"And my theories continue to come together," Azula said. "Yue, it's us. How long have you been here?"

"Azula? Is that you?" the voice sounded incredulous. "Or are you more monsters like that other one."

"The other Yue?" Azula asked, "Interesting. You've met her, then?"

"Other Yue? So the one we met before is an imposter after all!" Katara said.

They heard someone approaching around the bend and when Yue appeared her eyes lit up. "Katara! It's really you! I thought you were some horrible joke on me at first." She approached them and looked at Azula. "And -- it's really you."

"Back from the dead," Azula said. "So to speak."

"I really thought you were," she said, quietly,

"Clearly I'm alive," Azula said. "Did you think I'd simply vanish into thin air?"

"I'm so relieved that it's really you," Yue said, "After that lookalike showed up, I didn't know if I could trust my own eyes."

"That imposter," Katara said, "We've met her."

"She's dreadful," Yue said, "Simply dreadful."

"Indeed." Azula watched Yue carefully, narrowing her eyes, looking for anything out of place. The way she spoke seemed natural enough, not a single hitch in her voice or strange irregularities, but that only spoke to a trained actress.

She was looking for something, anything, to confirm who this was. "Azula, how did you -- I mean where were you -- I, I don't know how exactly to ask you, but what happened to you?"

Azula started to answer, when the blanks in her memory became clear again. There was something there, missing, that was clear. But all the more worrisome, the blanks seemed larger than before. "I don't remember, actually. All I remember was I signed this strange contract."

Azula's eyes widened. Lee's words came back to her as she remembered something that had happened almost a year ago. Aang had mentioned, in a strange offhanded manner, a contract he'd signed.

A contract that they'd never given him. And then Lee's statement became clear. "Is something wrong?" Yue asked.

"Huh?"

"You blanked out on us again," Katara said. "Really, Azula, you've been acting stranger than usual since you showed up on our doorstep."

"I'm sorry, I just --" she looked around, "Perhaps there's someplace to sit down."

"Ah, yes, but -- I don't know if it's exactly the nicest place to be," Yue said. "There's a clearing nearby. It's actually the first place I saw in this maze of a garden. I'm too afraid to go any deeper into the maze, and --"

"And? Why did you stop?" Azula asked, concealing her irritation with Yue's sudden turn towards hesitance.

"Well, there's this pleasant little garden there, with a beautiful gazebo, I think they're called. The moon hits the gazebo in just the right way to make it light up, and it's quite nice, but --"

"But?" Azula said, her tension rising.

"But she's there."

"The imposter?" Katara asked.

Yue nodded. "She leaves every now and then to water the plants, but when she comes back, she always comes back to torment me more. It's so frightening, the things she says."

"It's all right, Yue," Katara said, "We're here. We'll make her pay for all the trouble she's caused."

Azula nodded. She just needed some time to think first. "Can you take us there?"

"Yes, I think it's the pathway of the moon lilies," Yue smiled, "I always loved Moon Lilies, but they were so hard to keep in the North Pole. I was thinking of planting some while I was at Ba Sing Se, but then --"

"They're really pretty," Katara agreed, hastily changing the topic, "But let's not sit around. Azula looks set to blow us down where we stand."

Azula frowned.

Something was not sitting right in the pit of her stomach. Something was definitely amiss in the garden. But she could not quite figure out what it was.

She could hear them whispering as they walked, excluding her from their conversation.; She picked up bits here and there. "She just appeared?" Yue asked. "That's really quite frightening."

"I know," Katara said, "But then she --"

She could hear Yue gasp, but Katara's whispering had become quieter, and she glared back at her. The civility from before seemed to have reached its conclusion all too quickly, now that she had someone else to talk to. Katara, wonderfully predictable as always, then said, "We're almost there. Maybe we can find a way out of here."

"I hope so," Yue said, "I don't want to be here any longer."

Azula nodded. The passage was filled with moon lilies, They almost looked like neon lights in the growing shadow. Clouds passed overhead, causing the moon to dim. It peeked out through the clouds looking like it was in disguise, spying on them.

"It's only a little bit further."

The clearing opened up itno a fine little garden, where a variety of plants were being kept in a planter's box, and with nurture and care, were growing ever so perfectly upwards despite the lack of sunlight.

The Gazebo took up most of the center, shimmering a brilliant silver as the moon came out from behind the clouds, spreading its own pale glamour across the clearing.

"This is beautiful," Katara gasped.

"Yes," Yue said, in agreement, "But it grows tiresome quick."

"Agreed," Azula said. She walked out into the clearing and looked around for a sign of anyone. "Let's sit down," she said, but she was stopped by Yue, whose hands gripped her tightly. She pointed to the gazebo, and the single occupant already there.

She had seen them already, though, and rose from her seat.

The Goddess Yue, looking opulent and transcendental as ever, stepped down from her seat and smiled at Yue, without a single ounce of warmth in her entire form. The garden itself seemed to bleed into her.

"You came back," the Goddess Yue said and she smiled. "I knew you would."

* * *

"Okay, so this is nice. Taking a walk with Taddius," Sokka said, "Moonlit garden, sparkling flowers, no hideous monsters in sight. This is really nice."

"Taddius?"

"You know, our pal there," Sokka said, pointing at the tadpole that flopped behind them like a little lost puppy. "Really Toph, you didn't forget about Taddius did you?"

"I remember the tadpole, why are you naming it?"

"It seemed a bit odd to just go around calling him 'the tadpole' so I gave him a name," Sokka said.

"There are times I worry about you," Toph muttered.

The moonlit garden seemed to go on endlessly, and the tadpole started to leap on ahead with a large boost of speed. It seemed drawn to something, like it had heard a bell and hurried to answer. "What got into that thing?" Zuko muttered.

"I don't know," Sokka said. "Hey, Tad, wait up!"

The tadpole swerved around a corner and down a long straight corridor. The overgrown briars wrapped around every plant, and the passage seemed dark even under the full moon. Only the brilliance of the silvery gazebo in the distance seemed to shine any light.

"Wait up!" Sokka called after the creature. He stumbled after it, but every time he got a hold of it, it just slipped through his arms. Toph shrugged and Zuko rolled his eyes, watching the sight before him.

The tadpole leapt towards the gazebo and with a great squeal of joy leapt into the waiting arms of the Goddess Yue. "Ganga! Good girl," she said, a cruel smile on her face. "Everyone's here now. Our party can begin."

"This isn't much of a party," Azula coolly said. She looked over at Sokka and the others, and arched an eyebrow, "You survived, excellent."

"Sokka!" Yue's eyes lit up, "Toph -- and Zuko too. Everyone, everyone's here. I've missed you all so much."

The Goddess Yue rolled her eyes, petting the tadpole gently. "Welcome to my private garden, all of you. I'm most impressed you survived my tests, but surely, a goddess would never associate herself with ordinary individuals."

She cast her eyes across all of them, and then turned to glance at Yue. "All my life, I've wanted friends, equals to call my own. It's almost a pity that this is the best we came in contact with. Really, you're all pathetic losers. I mean, great rescue attempt, my _friends_, but you failed miserably."

"What -- we don't even know who you are, or what you are!"

Azula put her hand up, "Actually, I've been curious about something for some time now. I suppose it's best to ask ourselves which Yue is the real Yue, first."

"What?" Yue called out, "Azula, what are you saying? I know who I am!"

The Goddess Yue smiled, looking at Azula, "Oh, you were always so good, so arrogant, Azula. You presume to put yourself above me. And you presume too much."

"I don't care about your opinions," Azula said, coldly, "We have been stumbling around in here because of you. You've tried to kill us at every turn, but I cannot dismiss the possibility. Are you the real Yue?"

"Yes."

"And she's the imposter?"

"No."

"I see," Azula said, closing her eyes. "This isn't exactly what I was expecting, but, close enough."

"What?" Yue blinked, "I'm not the imposter!" she began to protest, and the Goddess Yue smiled at her.

"You're not the imposter, you're me. And I'm you. Always polite, always friendly, never saying anything bad about anyone, in case they might not like you. How pathetic! You were a princess, now you're a goddess. These people don't mean anything to you!"

"That's a lie!"

The tadpole made a little coo as it looked up at his mistress, who just smiled, ever wider. "Is it? For so long, you've been left in the Spirit World, forgotten, a relic of your friends' past. It's just like what happened to Oma. And you remember what they did to her, don't you?"

"That would never happen," Katara said, "Yue's our friend."

"Oh shut up!" the Goddess Yue snapped, "I've had it up to here with you, Katara. All of you! Humanity bores me, I want nothing more to do with any of you."

"That's just not true," Yue murmured, "Stop saying these things."

"Why do you keep denying how you feel?" the Goddess Yue said, approaching Yue, "Why do you deny me, a part of yourself?"

"You're nothing but a lie. Go away! Go away!"

The Goddess Yue laughed. It started cold, but grew in fervor until it reached maniacal overtures, "Yes, deny me! Keep it up!"

Yue tried to say something, but her legs gave way and her eyes darted up into the back of her head. She crumpled in a heap in front of the Goddess Yue, whose laughter was now so hard she held her sides. "Finally, I'm rid of her!"

Around her, the garden seemed to be thrown into darkness, leaving nothing behind it. The tadpole's glowing speckles grew brighter and it leapt into the darkness, as though it were water, leaving a ripple.

Suddenly, everything seemed familiar to Azula.

* * *

The green of the garden withered as the shadows spread out from the other Yue across the entire length of the maze. The leaves fell onto the black with tiny ripples across. Azula reeled, her vision getting blurry.

"I've been here before," she whispered. Zuko turned to look at her, but she did not notice.

The moon, however, was different, she realized. This was not the place she'd been, the place that she could just remember like a fading dream. A light breeze chilled them all to their bones as the other Yue wrapped herself in the darkness.

She emerged changed.

She held a small silver orb in her hand, and her unblemished white robes were now black and flowing, wrapping into the shadows beneath her. From the darkness, a large crescent shape emerged and the other Yue grabbed onto it and looked at them from beneath her silvery-white locks.

Her face was pitch black, like tar, and her eyes and smile shone like white through it.

"Finally, I'm my own self," she said, "The true self!"

The crescent swung about as she lifted her feet off from the ground, "What did you do to Yue?" Katara demanded moving to shield the unconscious girl from her sinister doppleganger. "What did you do?"

"She denied her true self, and set me free," the other Yue said, "I don't need her anymore, but I can't have you going and being heroic."

Azula couldn't quite focus on what was happening, but Sokka scoffed and stepped forward. "And what are you going to do to stop us?"

"Idiot," Toph muttered, "Don't pick a fight like that, you'll only tick her off more."

Zuko remained focused on Azula, his eyes not wavering. Azula stumbled forward and closed her eyes, trying to focus on regaining her composure. She could not afford a relapse now, in this place, at this time. "Whoever or whatever you are, I can't just have you going about killing my teammates. It just won't do."

"Oh, Azula, is it?" the other Yue said, swinging herself forward and back on her crescent swing, "That's so absolutely darling of you to do, for a hypocrite anyway." She pushed the small orb outwards and it landed on the ground, sinking slowly into the darkness.

"What did you do?" Zuko demanded to know, watching the orb dissolve into the shadows.

"Would you think a goddess would sully her hands with mere mortals' blood? Never! I chose to delegate."

"Delegate?" Sokka repeated. "Oh that's not good."

The darkness beneath them churned and the orb emerged with black trailing behind it, wrapping around it and taking on a massive shape. It blended in with the darkness, and only the light twinkle of starlight gave it any distinction amongst the blackened, withered garden.

Large claws snapped and it lunged forward.

"Protect Yue!" Katara called out, drawing her whip clumsily. "We've got to get her someplace safe."

"No place is safe here," Zuko grunted, "This shadow seems to go on forever."

"We need her someplace safer than here, anyway," Sokka said. "Azula, what's the battle plan?"

Battle plan?

The words echoed in her head, as if mocking her state of mind. Nothing was coming to her head, not one of a thousand plans she would otherwise have concocted. It was a harrowing experience, as if pieces of her mind continued to fall away and drift into oblivion.

"I don't know," she said. "That nucleus, maybe."

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, too," Sokka said. "This is just like La."

Azula felt a sharp pang as she realized something. La was only one half of the equation, and it was unlikely that this doppleganger would construct one half without the other. She tried to figure out what that meant.

Her mind raced, adrenaline started to kick in. She smiled, this was much more like it.

"We should be ready for a second attack," she said, "But for now, this thing is our first priority. Mission critical objectives include its destruction and Yue's survival, understood?"

"Huh?" Toph asked. "I don't get you, Azula."

"We win if we beat up the amoeba and make sure Yue's not hurt," Zuko translated.

"Oh, so business as usual, save the world, beat up the monster," Toph said. She drifted into a rough earthbending stance, "I can totally do that."

"But you can't bend," Azula began, "You should protect Yue --"

"Like fun I'm going to do that. I was beating up guys before I could bend, Fancy-Britches."

Azula raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "Very well. Katara, protect Yue with your life. I'm trusting you."

Katara looked Azula dead in the eye, and she stared back, unwavering. Katara bit back a comment, and nodded. "You can count on me."

The shadowy amoeba spirit's lunge came short, but a massive claw snapped at them. This twisted imitation of La felt hard and solid as its claws clamped down at Toph. Though blind, she was able to react with enough speed to push it to the side, throwing it down.

"See? I can fight!" she said.

"She's not going to back down," Zuko whispered to Azula, "She gets like this."

"Let her fight," Azula said. "She's good. Better than I thought she'd be without her bending."

Sokka readied his sword and charged the creature, slashing down across a surprisingly hard carapace, and pushing down as hard as he could, continued to tear away at it. He shouted again and slashed down. A slimy trail came off his sword as it cut through the carapace and darkness dripped down into the endless expanse beneath them.

The other Yue watched bemused as the amoeba-like creature reared on Sokka and brushed it aside with its claw. "Yes, yes, keep fighting."

She swung casually back and forth as Zuko entered the fray, his Dao blades connecting with the large claws and pushing back. She looked down at Katara, who hovered close to Yue's prone form. And she swung ever closer, and something lurked beneath the surface.

Azula grabbed her gun and aimed, firing and watching the bullet ricochet off of the hardened carapace around the orb. She readied herself to fire off a blast of air, when she noticed the other Yue moving towards Katara. She spun on her heel and shot the blast at Katara, blasting both her and Yue clear back.

They rolled about, and a groggy groan from Yue confirmed that the girl was still alive, but she did not stir from her unconsciousness. Katara looked over at Azula with growing irritation. "What was that for? Did you think that was funny? The enemy's over --"

She stopped. The other Yue dove down close to the ground and then spiraled upwards as a massive shape broke out of the darkness where they once stood, and massive teeth snapped at nothingness. The shape landed back into the water, speckled starlight on its back shimmering and casting a low reflection on the darkness as it descended once again.

The other Yue scowled, "Azula, you naughty, naughty girl! You spoiled my sport!"

"Is Yue all right?" she said to Katara. Katara looked down at Yue and nodded fiercely, "Good. Get her away from that thing, now. I'll keep it occupied."

"Azula," Katara managed to murmur before picking up Yue.

"Well, now the catfish is out of the bag," she said, "So to speak. These are my most faithful pets, Tigris and Ganga. And since you denied Ganga her dinner, I guess it's up to you to feed her now."

Azula smirked, and assumed an airbending stance, not a single tendon pulled any further than it needed to be, no hair out of place.

Ganga lurked beneath the surface, while the other Yue swung about, watching Azula carefully. "I'm certain you couldn't do that before," she muttered quietly, then with a haughty shout, asked, "What other secrets have you been hiding from me?"

Azula didn't answer, breaking into a dash, wind pushing her forward at great speeds. The lurker below followed her, a massive fin emerging as it picked up speed. Azula could see it just behind her. Waiting, ready to snap up and devour her. She grinned.

Tigris lunged at Toph, but was pushed back as the diminutive fighter slammed her fists forward. The carapace that held off the attacks started to crack, and moonlight poured out of the cracks, as black fluid dribbled down.

"Take that!" Toph laughed, "Did I get him?"

"Don't get cocky," Zuko grunted. "We have bigger problems that that thing now."

Sokka struck the creature with his sword, but the blow was deflected as the creature dove back underneath into the darkness, the orb emerging just above the surface and moving. "Well," Sokka said, "That may be, but we can't just ignore it."

"This is stupid, they're both just distractions," Zuko said, "We shouldn't be focusing our efforts on the minions, we should be taking out the real threat."

"That other Yue?" Toph muttered. "That cocky little -- she's been playing us this whole time, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," Sokka said, "And if Azula didn't notice it --"

Zuko nodded.

"Guys, that other one's gone under! Where did it go?" Toph grunted angrily and snarled, "Stupid bending, work!"

"Azula's distracted," Zuko muttered. "Sokka, we need a plan."

"We do?" Sokka asked. "Wait, you mean, you want me to come up with one."

"I know, a lot to ask," Zuko grinned.

"I think I've got one," Sokka said, "But it'll take a crack team of operatives with pinpoint timing."

"Too bad," Toph grinned, "We're all you got."

"Well, I can work with that, too."

* * *

With a loud splash, Ganga shot out of the shadows, teeth gnashing at air as Azula grabbed hold of a withered branch and kicked off of it with enough force to fly straight overhead. She spun in the air and drew her gun, firing off three shots as she descended. The bullets sunk into the massive oozing body, floating harmlessly in suspension as the massive black form descended again into the ground.

Azula frowned, and reholstered her weapon, landing elegantly with one hand steading her. She leapt to her feet with a great boost of speed and charged forward to meet the creature, as it reared around, snapping its massive teeth.

The other Yue grabbed hold of the crescent tightly, and shouted, "Ganga!" The creature did not listen, charging back and forcing the crescent to swing backwards with sudden speed, causing the other Yue to screech. "I command you to stop!"

Azula drew herself back, grabbing the rush of winds between her hands and swung it out with great force, blasting the large fish right out of the shadows. It landed on the ground not with a splash but an ignoble flop, and the false Yue's cries turned to panic. "Get up!"

"There," Azula said, confidently. She began to approach as the ground under her shifted and churned. A tendril grabbed her leg and pushed her down, the orb rising from the inky black and taking shape. It raised her up and tossed her away.

"Azula!" It was Katara crying out to her. She grabbed her whip and struck at Tigris. Parts of the creature splattered across the surface of the ground, melting into the dark, but it just turned its attention to Katara, who stood resolute. "Come and get me, freak!"

"Katara, you idiot," Azula murmured, grabbing her side. She landed hard, and she wondered if her rib had been bruised by the fall. "I can handle this."

"Not alone, you can't," Katara said.

The other Yue straightened herself, standing up and looking with a clear glare of repulsion at Ganga. "Useless beast!" She began to clean her dress when she heard a light whirring noise. "What the heavens is --"

She reeled as the boomerang hit her in the back of the head, pushing her forward with the force and the surprise of the attack.

"We need to focus on Yue, Azula," Sokka said, "Or else we'll be fighting these things until we exhaust ourselves."

"I was doing that fine until you lost track of the other one!" Azula accused.

"In case you haven't noticed, we can't just follow it around," Toph said, "It's like this floor is water to them, but it's solid ground to you or me."

"Less fighting, more butt-kicking," Sokka said, quickly. "She's not going to take that sitting down, and my boomerang didn't come back!"

"Boomerangs don't work that way," Azula muttered. "All right, Toph and Zuko on --"

"Yeah, Tigris, I'm with you on taking down Yue," Sokka said, "We got it all worked out." Azula arched a brow, and shrugged.

"Well, very good, then," Azula said. She clenched her fists tight. "As long as we keep that fish from diving back down, this will be a simple matter. I don't expect this to take more than a minute."

Toph grappled with the mass of tendrils shooting forth from the amorphous Tigris' body. "Okay, great, get on it, because this is gross!" Zuko cut her free from the writhing mass of shadows, but more emerged in their stead, and Tigris struck back at him, knocking him clear away.

"Well, you heard her," Sokka said, "Let's go!"

He took his sword and raised it high, charging towards the other Yue. The girl opened her eyes, and they absolutely shimmered, pushing him clear back as she regained her composure. "This is unbelievable. This cannot be. You can't be trying to harm me, I won't allow it!"

She stepped forward, and ice started to form at her feet, spreading out around her with each step. Snow began to fall from the sky, and Ganga and Tigris began to move sluggishly as ice began to form around them.

"Want to push back that estimate, there, Azula?" Sokka asked, getting to his feet. "No more than a minute?"

"I merely miscalculated," Azula snapped, "Two minutes."

"Oh, two minutes, yeah, sure," Sokka added.

Azula drew herself back and pushed forward, a gust of wind at the tips of her fingers as she thrust. The gale passed by her, ruffling up her hair, but she kept walking, frozen to the ground beneath her. Frost patterns formed on the ground like ancient runes.

"What do we do?" Sokka asked.

Azula frowned, "Improvise."

"With what?"

"I don't know, improvise that part, too," she snapped.

"Just admit you're out of ideas."

"You're only out of ideas if you can't think of anything else to say," Azula retorted.

"So you're out of ideas."

"Almost," she muttered. She bit her lip. What was she missing. They were at a stalemate, it was clear that the shadow Yue had no real strength of her own, but for the cold and ice she was bringing, but her defenses seemed impenetrable. No matter what Azula thought of, all she could do was stall her opponent.

"This is bad," Toph shouted, "It's gotten really cold here."

"What happened?" Zuko asked. "I feel kind of --" he yawned and his eyelids drooped, "Not again, not now!"

Azula felt the lulling of her senses as the other Yue moved closer to them, her eyes absolutely radiant with power.

"It's so cold," the other Yue said, "I'm so alone. No one will keep me warm." She was murmuring to herself like a small child. "Why won't anyone come keep me warm?"

"We need to get Yue somewhere safe -- We need to," Katara yawned out, "Need to protect her."

"No," a tired, but firm voice said. They looked over, and Yue opened her eyes with a flutter, "I'm not going to run away from this anymore."

"Yue?" Katara murmured softly, "It's okay, we'll protect you."

Yue smiled at Katara, and said, her voice warmer, "This isn't something you all can protect me from." She stood and stared at the other Yue, and winced, but did not turn away. "She's right, you know. She is me."

At this, the other Yue stopped, her eyes dimming and her real eyes shining through, the eyes filled with a sinister light that softened as Yue stepped closer. The drowsiness and cold subsided as the shadows began to sink, slowly, out of sight.

"What?" Sokka managed as he shook off the last feelings of sleep left in his eyes, "But you would never treat us like that --"

"No," Yue said, "But I felt it. At first, I was envious of you all, watching you live your lives, while I had become the silent observer. But I knew you couldn't just stop your lives because my life had changed. All my life, I'd had duties that put me separate of others, I was used to it. At least, I told myself that."

She shivered, "It's so cold in the north, especially when you were as ill as I became. I never had any friends, and my father was always busy. While everyone was kind to me, and they were like a family to me, it wasn't the same as having true friends."

"You have us," Katara said, "We're your friends."

"I know that," Yue said, "And that's what makes the truth so awful. I wished you'd stopped your lives right in place just as mine had -- I resented you all for living such a carefree life without me. It was awful, and I couldn't admit it, but, it was true. I felt so guilty, like I'd betrayed all of you."

She looked at the other Yue, who stared back, wordlessly, "And this is what all of that became. A mockery of who I am, but, at the same time, an undeniable part of me."

"Oh, Yue," Katara murmured.

"You resented us?" Azula asked.

Yue nodded, "Not for anything you did. Don't apologize, especially not you, Sokka," she looked paler than usual, and a bit weak at the knees, "I don't think I could bear it if you all apologized to me when it's me who should be apologizing. I'm so sorry."

The other Yue looked at the real Yue, and bowed her head and began to melt away, and the darkness subsidde. The garden, covered in a thin layer of snow, emerged from the blackness. The moon still hung high in the air, and the garden seemed to shimmer silver.

"Wow," Katara managed, "It's beautiful."

"It's cold!" Toph said, "My feet are going to freeze off."

Yue looked so weak, and Azula looked quite perplexed. "Katara, help Yue stand. We need to find a way out of here before Toph complains us all to death."

"Oh, gee, thanks for the compassion, Power Princess."

"You -- you're not angry with me?" Yue asked, amazed, "I thought for certain --"

"Yue," Zuko said, "You had every right to feel like that. We shouldn't have just treated you like a tool to help us in the Spirit World. You're more than our ally."

Sokka rummaged through the snow, and picked up his boomerang, "Yue, come on. We've all felt like that sometimes. Look at Zuko, he basically lives his life resenting my awesome."

"I'm going to beat your --"

"Please, stop, both of you," Katara said, "You're being immature brats. Ignore them, Yue, they're always like this." Yue smiled bashfully.

"It's all right. Strangely enough, I've missed all of this."

Azula looked over Yue, and scoffed, "And you lost your arm band," she said. Yue put her hand to her arm, and nodded.

"After Aang sealed the worlds apart, I thought I didn't need it anymore --"

Azula removed her own band and handed it to Yue. "Do not lose this one. Did you forget what I said when I gave you it? It made you a part of this team."

"Yes, I remember," Yue said, "It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"Let's get to that gazebo, and out of the snow," Zuko said. The group nodded and hurried to the gazebo. Yue stood at the edge, gazing out at the snow, looking tired but at the same time relieved. "You look happier."

"Oh," Yue said, turning to look at Zuko, "Yes, actually. I had worried for so long you'd all be angry at me, or yell at me, if I even let myself show even the smallest bit of anger at you. I wanted to be accepted so badly that I was too scared to show my feelings around you."

"That stops right now," Toph said. "If we do something to tick you off, you tell us, in the most blunt way possible, got it?"

"Yes," Yue said, smiling, "I will! For example, Toph, you should be more respectful towards everyone. You are our underclassman, still." Toph made a face, and Yue could hardly contain her laughter, "Well, you said to be honest!"

"As long as you don't demand we treat you like a goddess, we're cool, senpai," Toph said, with a smirk.

"I wonder where we proceed from here. I was certain something would be here in the center," Azula said, "Positive."

"Oh, yes," Yue said, closing her eyes. "There's a strange doorway not far from here."

"Wait, you can sense that -- you said --"

"I can feel my awareness waking up," Yue said, "It's still a bit fuzzy since this isn't exactly the Spirit World, but it's coming back to me slowly. It feels like I was the only reason it wasn't working in the end."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Sokka said.

"That's not a word," Azula snapped. "Let's go, then. I think Toph would appreciate us returning to the maze instead of hanging around here."

"Maze is at least warm," Toph murmured.

"Maze?" Yue asked. "May I ask, what's going on?"

"We'll explain when we find someplace safe," Sokka said. "Maybe we should try and find a path back to the entrance, and rest for a bit."

Azula pressed against her rib, and winced, "Yes, a very good plan. Well, Yue, welcome back to the team. I'm glad to see you've rejoined us."

"And I'm glad you've come back to us, as well," Yue said, "If Aang were still here, he would be excited. He never gave up hope in you, you know."

Azula paused, "We'll discuss what's been going on when we return so you are up to speed. And then I'm expecting you to finally tell me whatever it was that happened to Aang."

Yue gasped, "You haven't told her?" she asked, aside to the others.

"No," Zuko said, "I couldn't -- she just -- I can't say why I didn't, but I just felt wrong telling her."

Yue shook her head, "She needs to know. Aang gave up everything for us, and she deserves to know that."

"Yeah, but," Toph said, "I don't think she'll take it well. You know how she --"

"She'll take it like always," Katara said, coldly, "But if you don't mind, I don't exactly want to be around to watch her gloat."

"All right, Katara," Sokka said, "You don't have to."

The group looked downcast, and stared at Azula, who turned back to look at them, tapping her toe impatiently, "Do you want to spend more time having a picnic in a barren garden, or do you want to leave?"

"Coming, Azula," they chorused.

Yue smiled, though, "Azula, I've been curious. Could you give me your lecture on punctuality, I've heard so much about it and I really wonder if it truly is exactly thirty minutes."

"I don't feel like it right now," Azula muttered, "And I wouldn't know, I've never timed it." Yue burst into a fit of laughter, weighing herself down on Azula's shoulder for support. Azula fought back the urge to push her off, wondering, strangely, why it felt so good to see her laughing like this.

Somewhere, in the back of her head, it just felt right.

_... that garden however did hide more surprises than I'd thought, when I first entered it. Yue's repressed resentment had created an other-self, and I suppose, that garden was just a part of it. Even I'd been struck how beautiful that garden looked, covered in pure white snow._

_But, even as we left that garden behind, I couldn't help but wonder what other twists remained in the Labyrinth. It wouldn't be long before we realized just how deep the passages ran, but at the time, I remember being struck with a deep curiosity about those doorways that led us to the North Pole._

_Where exactly was this Labyrinth, I asked myself. And, I further wondered, was there really an escape from it? I banished such thoughts from my mind. They were not productive, there was only one question I allowed myself to ask._

_What will I need to do to survive?_


	6. Modern Young Life Cabbageway

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Sunday morning I touch the sky, next morning I touch your heart, was the start."_

_- Deep Breath Deep Breath - Reincarnation -_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter Five: **_Modern Young Life Cabbageway_

Cavernous walls and quiet, clinging mist casting shadows across narrow, long passageways. The Labyrinth of Lethe, unfamiliar and unwelcoming, stretched beyond them. There was no way back to the garden, and there was only the one path ahead of them.

Yue looked so tired, but with her eyes a brilliant white, she could see far beyond what the others saw. The passages, though long, weren't endless, and though there was a limit to how far she could sense, she could feel something shimmering like a beacon in the dark.

"We need to keep moving forward," she said, "There's something out there, I don't know what it is."

"Could it be another doorway?" Katara asked. "I wish we knew what was going on."

"We've been through worse," Zuko grunted, in response, dismissing Katara completely. Azula rolled her eyes and just focused on the present. Everyone was tired, and if there were more of those creatures, like the one that hid as Yue in that garden --

But wasn't that Yue?

Yue herself said it was, a piece of her, but still, a part of her.

She couldn't sit down and focus. She needed to. She needed time to sort what she was seeing and learning and figure out something that would make sense of the pieces that shot out like frayed ends.

The garden was a maze, and the end had led deeper into the labyrinth beneath the dormitory, she was certain of that, and Yue could all but confirm this. But the deeper mystery lied in doorway that hid deep within the garden.

The past, or at least a startlingly complete facsimile, lay behind it, stretching out to cover the entire North Pole capital. And when that past was disturbed, in this case through Katara's meddling, the entire thing shattered like glass on a car window after a crash.

And yet, that had let them return to their own time and the strange garden that had entrapped them.

And, she mused wryly, if that wasn't enough to swallow, there was the matter of Aang. The others remained tight-lipped. Katara especially would raise objections as they moved through the empty corridors, using Yue as a convenient excuse. saying "She's too tired, we need to find a safe place to rest," or, "Let's just focus on making sure Yue's okay for now, okay?"

Azula couldn't figure out why the water tribe girl was so particular about her not learning Aang's current whereabouts. It wasn't that she didn't have theories, on this or any of the other problems, it's just that she had far too many to sift through while keeping alert for ambushes.

In regards to Aang, the two she'd felt most likely was that in some way or form, Aang had died, or that Katara did not want Azula impeding on her territory. While she wouldn't ever refer to Katara as territorial, she made an exception where Azula was involved.

Yue seemed to be more and more tired as they walked, and they finally took a brief break at a fork in the path. Azula sat on watch while the others crowded around Yue, whispering between themselves, and Azula caught brief snippets here and there.

"So, you really saw the North Pole?"

"Was it cold?"

"Oh, yeah. I can't believe Azula didn't even shiver once."

"Firebending can be pretty effective at keeping someone warm."

"I know, but you should have seen her flame when she tried burning up that gross plant. It was puny."

Oh, yes, Azula said, reminded of her amazing failure in the maze. It was surprising that she managed to catch onto Waterbending so quickly, but a part of her doubted she'd really managed to grasp it, considering how sopping wet she ended up.

"You know she can hear us, right?"

Ah, Toph, though her abrasive attitude did often make her less than desirable company, it was her moments of pure, pretense-less honesty that Azula had missed.

"Oh, uh," Katara called out, "Azula, what do you think?"

"About?" she asked, looking over at Katara briefly before turning back down the passages. It was unearthly quiet in the maze.

"About the North Pole?"

"I don't know."

"You haven't got any ideas what it could mean?" Katara asked.

"I've got ideas," she muttered. She felt a little insulted by that comment, and it was typical that it would be Katara to suggest such a thing. Azula Houou was never without ideas. "I just don't know what it means, yet."

"That means she's got nothing," Toph muttered. And Azula was quickly reminded of the abrasive attitude.

"What about Yue?" she asked, looking over at Yue and trying to gauge her. Yue's reaction was cool, and a little confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about, though," she answered, looking at Katara, "I don't remember meeting someone that resembled you at the North Pole ten years ago, but I do remember the incident with my minder getting disciplined for losing me."

"So?" Sokka wondered, "What does that mean?"

"The strangest thing," Yue said, startled, "I know I should remember more of that, but I just can't, it's like it's gone blank."

"It was just a long time ago," Katara said, comfortingly, "You forget things like that over time."

"It's just so strange," Yue continued, "It's like I can remember there being something, but when I try and see it in my head, it just goes black, completely black."

Azula frowned.

That brought up another concern. Her own memory wasn't quite so vivid as it used to be. The last thing she remembered was -- falling, yes, that she was certain. She was falling, and then, she stopped falling but she didn't hit the ground.

And she remembered a dragon of some sort.

But that was it, only bits and pieces of her memory remained, the rest black and murky, until she woke up in the hospital.

It reminded her, though, of the three strange, and inexplicable people she kept getting involved with. The first was that girl, the one who claimed no name and always seemed particularly keen on Azula's attention and friendship. It was very creepy, the way the little girl would look at her with those golden, soulless eyes, and say, "Since it's you."

The other was the boy, Lee, who wore the sunny mask. He seemed surprised that he had a mask -- no, surprised that she saw a mask. The boy himself didn't appear to perceive himself wearing one. The room she met him in, that Indigo Lodge, it seemed almost dreamlike. Perhaps that mask was just part of the dream.

Both he and the girl seemed to appear only to her. She wouldn't mention those to the others, for fear that they would deem her insane. The last one, however, was --

-- Standing in the middle of the corridor, watching them. It was the first time she ever got a good look at him. His eyes, those blue orbs that radiated light, were the only discernable features on his face. The nose, the mouth, they were all there, but they seemed more a trick of the shadows that moved around him like smoky wisp.

"Azula, what is it?" Katara asked, and she noticed that Yue was also staring. Following their gaze, she murmured, quietly, "It's him again."

He wore the Phoenix School uniform, and seemed to be a first year. He stared back at them for a while, and the others daren't move, in case he would take off again, further into the maze. Who he was, what he was doing there, the mysteries around him seemed the most tantalizing to Azula.

She was certain that unravelling the mystery of the labyrinth would certainly be centered around him. It was he who led her to the dormitory, and it was he who had led them to the garden. Just who was he?

"What is that?" Yue wondered, aloud, and the spell was broken. The boy turned around and Yue suddenly seemed siezed by some great pain. "What is he doing to me?" she wondered aloud.

The boy started down the hall, vanishing behind a wall that rose up from the stone. "Yue, are you all right?" Sokka asked, chivalrous as ever, Azula sneered.

"Yes, I'm fine now," she said, "But we need to be alert. I sense spirits coming this way."

"Everytime that guy shows up!" Toph muttered. "What's the big idea, anyway?"

"Be ready!" Azula shouted.

Those halls were no longer quiet. There was a noise, ghastly and inhuman, as the spirit appeared from down the hall. Its lupine face was attached to a decidedly feline body, moving forward with cat-like grace, and a predatory gleam in its glassy eyes.

"We shouldn't linger here," Yue said, "We need to keep moving. The way that boy went -- we need to follow it."

"Why?" Toph wondered, buckling in her stance. "What's so important about following him?"

"I don't know," Yue admitted. "I'm sorry, this is too much for me to process right now."

"It's okay," Katara said.

Azula focused on the wolf spirit. "Let's get rid of this thing first, then move."

Azula was fast off her feet, the wind swirling at her toes, as she brought it up in a great gale. The winds buffetted the creature back and landed it in just the right position for her next strike. She followed the airbending forms as well as she could duplicate them, and launched herself at it with a forward kick.

The creature leapt at her and the two collided mid-air.

The unfortunate part, Azula realized, was that it was able to position itself on top in this way, and its breath stunk. "A little help," she muttered.

"Did I just hear Azula ask for help?" Toph said, grinning wide and proud. "I'm sure she did!"

"Yep," Sokka said. "Should we?"

"Very funny," Azula snapped. The creature snapped too, only with a powerful, wolf-like jaw. The smell was briefly relieved.

"I hate to say it, but we probably should," Katara said, reluctantly. Sokka nodded, and gripped his boomerang. Aiming it, he brought his arm back and threw it. It hit the creature square on the jaw, causing it to jump back.

The momentary distraction was enough for Azula to wrest her feet underneath its stomach and push it off. Scrambling to her feet, she resumed her stance, and glanced back. "Good timing," she said, "Its breath stunk almost as bad as Sokka's."

"Hey, I resent that!"

"Your breath does smell, Snoozles," Toph said.

"We shouldn't sit around here," Yue urged. "There are more approaching."

"Then let's move!" Sokka said. Azula was about to protest when she felt Zuko's hand grab her wrist and pull her along.

"Just give me five seconds," Azula said, wresting her wrist back. "That's all I need to finisht his one off."

The creature yelped as the gales knocked it back against the wall, but it was swift to recover and pounced upon her. This time, however, she was ready. She drew her gun and shot it clean between the eyes before it could react.

Holstering the gun, she turned to catch up with the rest when a creaking sound caught her attention. Something crept across the floor, its hands dragging it forward. She turned around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was, but saw nothing.

The creature, completely composed of hands, waited until she was gone before continuing to slowly stalk after them.

* * *

"The maze sure seems more alive every time that guy shows up," Sokka moaned. "What's the deal with him anyway? Ooh, I'm so creepy and scary, I'm just going to stare at you until you say something."

"It was certainly strange," Yue admitted, "So, this is how it always happens?"

"Yep," Toph said, "We stand around looking dumb while he just wanders off down further into this deathtrap."

Azula said nothing.

The maze's stone corridors wound further into the shadows, but with Yue's directions, they seemed to be making some progress. "At least we don't have to worry about getting lost in this maze," Katara said. "Thank you so much, Yue, what would we do without you?"

"Wander around aimlessly and get ourselves trapped by strange Yue lookalikes," Sokka said, matter-of-factly, "I thought we established that in the garden."

Yue giggled, clearly amused by Sokka's wit. Azula was not quite so enthused. It was too convenient, them finding Yue in that maze. Whoever was behind this trapped them all in here with some sinister purpose in mind, that was clear.

"So, how much further?" Sokka asked.

"Not far," Yue answered, "Just a few more corridors to pass through." The corridors were certainly long, however. The sounds and activity of the spirits hiding in the labyrinth had died down, but the sculptures along the corridors held tensions high.

They were increasingly bizarre. Creatures with no faces, but a thousand eyes, and masses of squirming tendons and shapes with no real form replicated imperfectly in stone, but still casting uneasiness.

Certainly, the tunnels were weaving towards some destination, none of the Bending Club would deny that, but except for Yue, there were doubts as to what destination that might be. Yue, for her part, kept optimistic.

It became alarmingly clear how much facing that other side of herself had taken out of her. Everyone saw it. She stumbled more often than she walked, and needed constantly to be propped against someone, but she just smiled whenever anyone asked her if she needed some rest.

"I'm just fine," she said, this time, waving off Azula's comment, "Thanks for your concern, Azula. We're nearly there, anyway. It's at the end of this passage."

And there it was, indeed. A doorway at the end of the hall, floating in mid air. The doorway seemed to be similar to the one within the garden, and when they approached, it opened, creakily, invitingly.

"Here," Yue whispered, "This doorway."

She nearly collapsed having reached their destination, and Zuko and Sokka provided enough support for her to maintain some dignity, "A doorway," Azula answered, clearly not impressed. "I suppose it's better than nothing."

"Do you think it leads to the past?" Katara wondered, "Or to another maze."

Something about the door made it seem different than the one to the garden. It was open, for one thing, and there was nothing on the door to differentiate it from a normal doorway -- excusing, of course, the fact that it was floating just a little bit above the ground as an anamoly of reality.

"We'll find out," Azula answered.

The group braced themselves, as they opened the door. Whatever awaited beyond, they were ready to face it.

Azula pulled the door opened, and her eyes widened, "Oh no."

"What?" Yue said, looking up, "What's wrong?"

"It's -- it's --" Toph's eye twitched, "I know that music. I know that music all too well."

"_Mod-Ern Young Life Cabb-Age-Way!" _a familiar, pre-recorded voice sang across an intercom. A different, living voice called out in an artifically cheerful manner once the recording stopped, "_Today, there's a special on General Fong's carbonated beverages! General Fong's, Different and Bold._"

Tinny, repetitive music assaulted them through the speakers.

"Well," Sokka said, his eyes brightening, "At least we don't have to worry about starving!"

"Make that music stop!" Toph cried.

* * *

Cabbageway's.

Azula never liked the place. Bright, sterile, and filled with grating music that would just never stop. Still, compared to the long, narrow expanses of the labyrinth behind them, it seemed peaceful.

The door lingered in mid air behind them, with people passing right through it as if nothing was there. Not that many people came this way, as it was lodged in a barely visited corner of the store.

Cabbageway's was one of the few companies big enough to not be a part of the Phoenix Group, and as such, Azula always associated them with being the enemy. Not that she minded their fire flakes, and she knew Katara used to go shopping for groceries here.

It was that music that was making this more miserable than the garden.

"Is there a place I could sit down?" Yue asked, looking around. "I don't believe I ever got a chance to visit this place."

"Yeah, come on," Sokka said, "We should go to the food court."

Cabbageway's was a department store, first and foremost. It sprouted from a grocery chain. That grocery chain reputedly sprouted from a traveling cabbage vendor. Azula sincerely doubted this was anything more than flavor. The friendly cabbage merchant, the store's mascot, smiled lifelessly. The statues were hanging near the door, greeting everyone coming in.

It was kind of creepy, more than anything.

"I wonder when we are," Katara said. Azula shrugged. It was a good question. Cabbageway's wasn't exactly the huge chain it became back ten years ago. It was a little more low-key back in those days.

The food court, on the second floor, looked down on the lights and sights of the first floor, where everyone walked around, preparing for the holidays.

"Do you think we'll run into ourselves?" Sokka asked, suddenly.

"I do not know," Yue murmured, "I'm so tired I can barely think straight."

"What was that, anyway?" Zuko asked. "That garden, that other Yue, all of that just doesn't make any sense. It's like, I could accept the Spirit World. I mean, sure it was a myth, but it was a myth I knew. I never heard of any maze like this, and no gardens, either."

Azula looked at Zuko, and grinned.

"Are you afraid there is some other you in this maze, somewhere, waiting to replace you?" she asked, her grin widening at his sudden change in expression.

"You think there is one?" Katara asked, looking at the food in front of her like it was a grand feast. "Do you guys mind if I --"

"Go ahead," Toph said, "Sokka's already going at his."

"Mmph -- hey, I told you, I was starved --"

"Shut up, Snoozles. So, Zuko, what do you think? Another Zuko somewhere in that big ole maze just waiting for the chance?"

"I don't know! But if there were," he frowned, "Even knowing that it's made up of a piece of myself, I don't know if I could face that."

"Oh? It's easy," Azula said, "I accept you, other me. You are indeed a part of me."

"It isn't that easy," Yue whispered, her eyes closed, "I never really acknowledged that part of me. If you'd asked me beforehand, I would have thought you were making things up. I felt it, but I didn't want to admit that was what it was, if that makes any sense."

Toph took a bite of her rice cake, and, spitting out pieces of rice as she spoke, "Well, that's just great. So even though we know we got to accept it, we can't just say it?"

"She was a part of me," Yue said, "I can still sense her inside me, if that makes any sense."

"Yue, you should rest up," Zuko said.

"Yes, I will just rest my head here, on the table," she whispered, and she laid it down, mumbling something further before making a light noise.

"Yue snores, good to know," Toph said.

Sokka's face stuffed with food, he looked up at Azula and said, "Mrph-snuht-mm, this is really good! You know, they stopped serving this like a year ago, and you gotta have some of this, Toph --"

"Were you trying to say something before that wonderful aside?" Azula asked, resting her head on her hand, eyelids lulled ever so slightly.

"Well, yeah, s'not that bad, I mean," Sokka said, "I mean, Yue did it, and I think we can too."

"What makes you think that everyone's got one?" Katara asked, "I mean, what makes you think that I've got some dark other side I'm trying to hide from everyone. And Toph! I mean, look at her, she's the most honest person in the world!"

"That I am," Toph agreed.

"If anyone's got another side, it's Azula," she said.

Azula smirked, "I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not one for repressing anything. You, on the other hand, are the most repressed individual I've ever met."

"What was that?" Katara's eyes narrowed as she focused on Azula's smug face. "Me? Repressed?"

"Would you both stop it?" Zuko said, "Yue's trying to get some rest."

"She started it!" the two of them cried out.

"You know, I missed this, I really did," Toph said, "Spicegirl and Sugar Queen, all-out brawl for supremacy. Should put it on TV and charge fifteen-hundred en per person."

"Look," Zuko said, "Let's just accept that everybody's got something to hide."

"Right," Sokka said, "Except for me and my lemur."

The group fell silent.

The crowds in the food court didn't seem to notice them, they weren't being bothered, though the clock raced slowly forward, it seemed that, once in a while, the clock would start ticking backwards. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, Azula reasoned.

It felt, strangely enough, like a normal day after school.

There they were, all in their uniforms, excepting Yue, who looked a little out of place in flowing, shimmering white robes. Still, no one seemed to really mind the sleeping girl, she just looked like she'd walked out of a convention building for those action shows her brother used to watch when they were younger.

"So, we should get supplies while we're here," she said, breaking the silence. "Water, some snacks, prepare for anything."

The group agreed.

"You know," Sokka said, "This is almost like the good old days. I wish Aang were here --"

The group fell silent again, everyone glancing at Sokka anxiously.

"I'm going to get on that," Katara said, "Grabbing the supplies, I mean. I'll be back soon." She excused herself, leaving her meal, which previously she was devouring, half eaten. Azula frowned.

"Well, I suppose that is a convenient segue," she said, once Katara was gone. "Where has Aang gone to."

Zuko looked nervous, Sokka anxious, and Toph was just blank. None of them wanted to say anything, Azula reasoned, which made this all the more fun.

"Oh, I could just go on blindly," she said, "But considering that Sokka has been coming up with nothing as to what is behind all of this, you'd be only hurting yourself witholding information."

"You think this has something to do with Aang?" Sokka blinked.

"When hasn't everything revolved around him?" Azula retorted. People gravitated to him, and he changed the entire equation the moment he stepped into their lives, he was the center of everything, as far as Azula was concerned.

There was no doubt in her mind that the Avatar was a very real part of this maze.

"Aang is -- well --" Zuko stuttered.

"It's just he's gone," Toph said, "And he's not coming back."

"He's like asleep but not, you know, kind of mostly-dead," Sokka managed to garble out. Azula looked at all of them. Individually, perhaps she could have pieced something together of Aang's fate, or, at least, what they were trying to say.

But, when they all spoke in unison like that, it was probably safer to just ask them to repeat themselves one at a time.

"Sokka, you begin," she said.

"Well, it's like this," Sokka said. "Agni, the Spirit of Fire, was supposedly called by the despair of the human race to end their world so a new one could begin. That was the Unification." Sokka sighed. "Iroh Houou's experiment jump-started the whole thing, like, he tied a string around the worlds and tugged."

"All right," Azula said, "What does this have to do with Aang?"

"I'm getting to that! Okay, so, worlds colliding, that's right," Sokka said, "The two worlds were going to become one world, and Agni, responding to all that pent up despair, was ready to prepare the world and clean away all of the old stuff. Including people. You should know this, you were there on the day it happened!"

"I don't recall," Azula answered.

"Okay, fine, anyway, you almost stopped us from reaching Iroh in time. That's the bad news," he said, "The worse news is that it didn't matter because Agni wasn't just cleaning up the Spirit World, he'd _become_ the Spirit World. He was huge! And Aang somehow managed to seal him away."

Azula frowned. "And this caused what?"

"Still getting to that," Sokka said. "Okay, so we stopped Agni, but the worlds were still about to make like cars on the Ba Sing Se highway and crash. Aang, he stopped that, he gave up his spirit to make a barrier, but his human body would become like a Spiritless here."

"So, he went into a state not unlike me," Azula said, shivering. The thought of lying, prone in that bed, like a corpse, it still sent shivers down her spine even now.

"Well, yes, but first he made us all forget," he said. "Like, we didn't remember what happened, we just remembered that we were friends and we lived together and went to school together. You know, normal stuff. And for a whole month, all of us just acted like nothing had happened."

"All that power," Azula paused, trying to gather her thoughts, "And he used it to live a normal, boring high school life?"

"Yep," Sokka said, "But after that month passed, we all remembered as the two worlds got farther apart, according to Yue. The barrier made it so the two worlds would remain apart. That's when Aang finally went into that big sleep and he's been like that since."

"I see," Azula said. She tried to process this information. Aang wished to live a normal life, but gave that up. Why anyone would do that was beyond her. With his power, couldn't he have made some more temporary solution?

"I don't expect you to understand," Zuko said, looking at her critically, Azula returned his glare, wondering if somehow he'd managed to read her thoughts. "It would be nice if you showed some compassion."

"I don't see why I should," she answered, curtly.

"We know how you felt about him," Toph said, "Don't try and lie to us."

"What are you talking about?" Azula's face turned crimson. She could remember the times they spent together. They were comforting memories, something that she treasured, although she would never admit it aloud.

"Talk about repression," Toph muttered.

"I have no idea what you mean!" Azula protested.

"Doesn't matter, he's gone now," Toph said, "Ain't coming back, so don't even dare talk bad about him. I'll make you regret it."

"Anyway, did that help you any?" Sokka asked. "It isn't exactly like I enjoy remembering all of that. It's easier just to move on."

It did, actually, Azula wanted to say. The idea of memories being rewritten, and the point about the worlds being separate, they all seemed to point to something involving Aang, but she couldn't precisely figure what. If the two worlds were separate, how did this place come to be?

"No, not yet, anyway," Azula said, "We're still missing something critical, I think."

"Oh," Sokka said, his face falling. "Well, we got a lot to digest. Other-selves, mazes upon mazes, paths into the past, we're full swing in another mystery. It'd be nice if we could just find out way back to the dorm, though."

"Mm, possible," Yue murmured, opening her eyes.

"Morning," Toph said.

"Hi," Yue muttered, quietly. "So, what do we do now? Do we have any idea how to get further into this maze, or do we just follow whatever I can sense for now?"

"I don't know," Azula answered. "Did you say it was possible to find out way back to the dorm?"

"It is certainly possible," Yue said, "But it's really hard to explain, when I try and get a sense of this place, it's like walking through a room with the lights turned off, I can sort of make out things, but unless they're really familiar to me, I don't know what they are. It's kind of scary, when one of those things might be a really scary spirit."

She yawned, "It's just so tiring in there, I can't overdo it."

"I understand," Azula said, nodding. "Well, we have a lot to figure out, and unfortunately, the only place for answers is back inside that maze. Perhaps we should track down Katara ourselves before she gets lost."

"Mind if I stay here just a little bit longer?" Yue asked, "I'm still so sleepy."

"That's fine," Azula said, "Sokka, stay with her. We won't be long."

"Okay, understood."

* * *

Toph stretched her arms up above her heads, and snidely grinned, tilting her head in the direction she last heard Azula's voice. Azula didn't seem to notice or care that she was looking at her.

"So, you still hot for him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Azula answered, level and calm. She would not be beaten by the blind girl's taunts.

Running through Toph's mind was a very similar thought. She wasn't about to let the firebender win, especially when she was about as unsubtle as a brick. Lingering near him whenever she could find an excuse, singling him out for assignments that would involve her spending time with him, and the fact that around him, she even tried to be nice.

It was sickeningly obvious. "Okay, so let me break it down for you. Back before you went total psycho, you had a crush on Aang, and everyone and your brother knew it."

"Please just leave me out of this," Zuko muttered.

"Do I have to explain everything I do to you in very small words for you to understand, Toph?" Azula bristled in response.

"Oh, please do, I just love watching you act condescending."

"I was using him," Azula retorted, staccato and with rising anger. "There, I've admitted my evil plan to you, oh, about three months after I finally acted on it."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Toph said, "It's not like you didn't get all flustered when he said you had nice hair."

Azula stopped mid-step.

"He never told me that," she lied.

"Oh yes he did," Toph teased. "While you were going full-bore mental breakdown, he said you had nice hair. I remembe that."

"I think you've gone delusional, Toph."

Zuko rubbed his temples and scanned the stores for any signs of Katara. He was desperate to find an end to this conversation. The two could argue intensely, and they were more likely to dismiss him than stop if he called them on it.

The irritating tune that played over the speakers did little to help the situation either. "_Mod-Ern Young Life Cabb-Age-Way! Everyday at Cabbageway's is like Avatar Week. We are offering brand new Phoenix Pharmaceutical brand face cleanser pads at half price! Perfect for the teenager about to start the new semester!_"

"Wow, Katara, you look awful. What happened today with Azula?"

"I don't know, I just --"

"Did you two get into a fight like in those cartoon programs? I bet she was trained to be a ninja."

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"

"Katara, don't you remember? You nearly got into a huge argument with Azula today? Wow, you're forgetful, too. Did you hurt your head? And what are you doing with your hair. I mean I like it, it makes you look so much more mature, but --"

"I always wear my hair like this."

"You had it tied back this morning at school."

"I found Katara," Zuko grunted, "Looks like she's met her school friends."

"Hey! Sugar Queen! Over here!" Toph waved her hands up high in the air, and from behind the group of three second year students, Katara breathed a visible sigh of relief.

"Is that Toph? The first year? Who's she talking to?"

"That'd be me," Katara said, "Excuse me, I've got to go."

"That is Toph, and Azula? And who's that next to them? That can't be -- the Delinquent Prince?"

"Er, his name's Zuko, actually," Katara said, pushing aside. "And I totally made my peace with Azula about whatever happened earlier."

"Really?" her friends looked conspiratorially at each other, "Did she make it up by introducing you to tall, dark, and handsome?"

"What? Zuko? He's a total dweeb," Katara said, dismissively. "Besides, it's -- I don't want to talk about it."

"You were totally lying, weren't you? You did have a summer boyfriend!"

"No! I got to go, club business," Katara said, pushing past them. She had some small snacks in a basket, and looked absolutely relieved to see the group. Azula didn't miss a beat.

"Start of the semester, as I recall, you were upset at me, as usual." Azula didn't bat an eyelash, "Probably over nothing, as was your usual behavior."

"I don't remember exactly," Katara blinked, "They're wondering what I'm doing hanging around with Toph and the 'cute stranger' right now, I just know it."

"Cute stranger?" Zuko asked, looking around.

"That'd be you, Matchstick," Toph retorted, "Let 'em wonder. It's not like I even got a chance to roll out my A-Game that early in the semester."

"So this really is the past," Zuko muttered.

"I was just about to get some bottles of water," Katara said, "But I got ambushed."

"We'll help carry everything," Zuko continued. "We've reached a wall on our deductions."

"Thanks."

"At least this place hasn't gone crack yet," Katara sighed, with relief. "The last time that happened, I was terrified I'd broken something."

"It ended up working to our advantage," Azula calmly retorted, "So I wouldn't worry. Perhaps because we're expected to be here, things are a a bit less likely to shatter."

"Crack?"

"Yeah," Katara said, looking to Toph, "Like it were made out of glass."

"I don't get it," Toph answered. She furrowed her brow and let her bangs cover her eyes. "How'd you crack the past?"

"It is rather unusual," Azula said, "But I believe it was likely to do with the fact that she interacted in a way she wasn't supposed to."

"What did it do?"

"I don't know, Zuko," Azula answered.

"No one seemed to notice it except for us, though. It was as if the cracks weren't there to them. The way they moved through the cracks was the sickest part."

"I don't think I like this past traveling thing," Toph muttered.

"Hopefully we won't have to," Azula said, "But if it's necessary, we will manage. This is a very convenient place to wind up, though. A store with plenty of food, only a school year before our time."

"Yes, a bit too convenient," Zuko grunted.

"So someone is watching out for us?" Katara asked. "I'm okay with that. It'd be some good news for a change!"

"I guess. It's never that easy though. Never."

"Zuko, stop being so negative," Azula said. "Whether this is some dastardly trap or not is irrelevent. We needed food, and even if we could find the dorm, there's no way to leave through the building."

"I guess," he grunted, unable to argue against that.

"Well, let's get the rest of the supplies," Katara said, shrugging. "If it's a trap, we'll be ready."

Azula nodded, "I'm going to see about ammunition."

"I really doubt Cabbageway's sells handgun ammunition," Zuko muttered.

"We'll see," Azula responded, grinning. It hardly mattered if they did or did not. She knew they did, though it was unlikely they'd sell to her, as a student. But that wasn't the intent. "Anyhow, we'll meet up at the food court."

"Okay," Katara said, "See you soon, Azula."

Azula left them and hurried towards the back of the store. Among the sporting goods there was a section dedicated to hunting. The forests and mountains of the Earth Kingdom were suited to hunting in the fall seasons, and though Azula never saw the point in hunting animals, she did see the point in self-preservation.

The store was quieter here. Few people in downtown Ba Sing Se had much need for hunting equipment. The few people licensed to carry a gun would come around from time to time, but it was rare to see a crowd.

Though it was true that ammo was beginning to become a concern -- she didn't particularly save much for her reserve weapon -- she came here to be alone. Seeing that the store was empty in this aisle, she walked down it.

She was certain she wasn't alone, though.

"You can come out."

No answer. Azula paused. Was this just a delusion, after all?

No, that was impossible. After the garden, she was certain that it was much more than that. "There's no one here, and we need to talk."

There was a sound. Footsteps, coming from small feet in soft soled shoes. They came from behind, walking down the aisle closer and closer.

"Since it's you, I guess we can talk. What do you need?"

The girl in black smiled.

_To be continued._


	7. The Secret Sands

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Six to seven to eight to nine ten, I flip the script to make it to the top ten, go!_

_Dreamless dorm, ticking clock. I walk away from a soundless room."_

_P3FES_

_Lotus Juice feat. Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 6: **_The Secret Sands_

The girl in black stood there. Azula didn't know precisely how to react. The girl smiled, and looked at her expectantly. She was called, and now, she wanted to know why. "You really came." Azula hesitated. What did that even mean?

"Of course I came, since it's you!"

"What's so special about me anyway?" Azula snapped.

The girl looked at her. She was hesitating, reluctant to speak the reason, and when she finally spoke, she did so with a nervous giggle, "Why does it matter? You're Azula, and since you are, I want to be there wherever you go!"

"Do you have a name?" Azula asked.

"Don't you remember? I told you, I didn't have a name, yet."

Yes, in the hospital, that's where she said that. This girl, whoever she was, smiled expectantly at Azula, as if waiting for the pieces to fall into place, like she knew they would. "Well, how about I give you a name for the time being, until you get one of your own?"

"Would you?" the girl's eyes lit up with childlike wonder, "That would be wonderful!"

But what to name a little girl? Azula wished she'd have Katara's opinion on the matter, since the girl was already so motherly as it stood. Azula was certain she'd have a hundred ideas for names, and while in her head, Azula only had two.

Ursa, and Xiao.

Ursa wouldn't do. Xiao, however, could work. It meant Little Dragon, which Azula quite liked the image of. And Ursa would most certainly not do, not at all.

"Xiao."

"I see," the girl said, frowning. "Xiao. Xiao. Zhi-OW, Xiao."

"No?" Azula wondered, almost a little pathetically.

"It's not perfect, but it will do for now," Xiao said, cocking her head to the side, "I was hoping for a name like yours. Cool, pretty, and smart. I want to be everything you are when I am as old as you are."

"Okay," Azula said, pausing. "Who are you, Xiao? Are you part of this maze?"

"Of course not, silly," Xiao said, "But you've probably noticed that you're the only one who knows I exist. That's why -- that's why I don't want you to ever leave me. It's important, so don't! I can't stand to think what will happen if I'm all alone."

"You would survive, and become stronger for it," Azula said. "But for now, at least, I will not simply abandon you."

"I knew you wouldn't!" Xiao said.

Azula stared at Xiao. She wondered if she was ever that young and foolish, so reliant on someone else's acknowledgement to give herself any worth. A knot formed in her stomach. "I suppose I should go for now."

"Oh," Xiao looked sad, "Okay. You'll remember me, though, right? Promise not to forget about me!"

"I -- I promise."

* * *

The food court was beginning to quiet down. Sokka let Yue continue to rest, the poor girl looked like she'd just gone through exam week without sleeping once, and it showed. She lightly snored as he waited for the others to return. One by one, they came.

Katara had a bunch of snack food in a plastic bag, while Zuko brought a couple of bags to store things in. Toph returned a bit after Zuko, lugging the water bottles. "She insisted," Zuko weakly said.

"I got it!" Toph said, tossing it on the table so heavily that it shocked Yue awake.

"Oh my!"

"Oh, sorry, Yue!" Toph said, embarrassed, "Didn't mean to smash it down so heavily."

"That's all right," Yue said, yawning, "I think I feel much better now. It would be wonderful if we could find our way back to the dorm. I think resting in a real bed would do me wonders."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Katara said. "So we're just waiting for Azula to show up. Guys, I know it's rude to talk about people behind their backs, but I think we should probably think about what to do about her sooner than later."

"What do you mean?" Yue asked.

"She tried to kill you, Yue, and she did kill Aang. Remember, from the start, she pretended to like us, but she just wanted us to be her own personal army."

Zuko sighed, "I don't know."

"People change," Sokka said. "I think we should be giving her a chance. I mean, she managed to get us through the garden. Benefit of the doubt."

"She was more than willing to let you guys rot there, you know," Katara said, gravely. "She's as self-serving as ever. She's been mocking us the whole time."

"As soon as we're no longer useful, stab in the back?" Toph asked. "Yeah, that's her style, all right. Definitely got a bad feeling."

"I don't know," Yue said, "I sense there's something different about her, and I'm not just talking about her bending. Remember what she did for us all in the Tower. She stayed behind and gave us a chance to stop Iroh."

"Yeah, because she realized she was totally crazy!" Toph said.

"I don't trust her, at all," Katara continued, "We should probably be ready. Hopefully we can get our bending back in time."

"Look, sis, I know you just love believing the worst in people, but don't you think you're going just a bit far. Aang thought there was good in her, and he was right about Zuko, why not about you. Isn't that right, Zuko?"

Zuko grunted.

"You've been awfully quiet about this, Zuko," Katara said, "I know she's your sister, but you know her better than anyone. So, what do you think?"

"I don't know," Zuko said. "She's always been this way, as far back as I can remember."

"So, you agree we should do something about her?" Katara asked.

"No. But I don't think we can trust her yet."

"Way to cast the tiebreaker, Zuzu," Toph muttered. "So what do we do instead? Watch our backs at every second of the day? Because we're all going to need sleep sometime."

"I don't know!" Zuko snapped. "All I know is that I saw her save Aang on top of the tower, and I don't know how else to put it -- there's some good in there, but she doesn't remember it. Or doesn't want to, maybe."

"Right now, we need her," Yue said, "And hopefully, she will remember in time."

"I don't know how you guys can just forgive her like that," Katara sighed, throwing her hands up, "Fine, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Didn't warn you about what, pray-tell?"

The look on Katara's face as it went from a shade of blue to pink and finally to red seemed to force Yue to keep down a guffaw. Katara slowly turned around to acknowledge the speaker. "Azula, you're back."

"Yes, I am." Azula took a seat at the table and looked at everyone, nodding as she consulted some internal check-list, everything so perfect and controlled. "Very good. Everyone seems to have rested up. It's time we return to the maze."

"Can't we just stay here?" Toph moaned.

"No, we can't," Zuko snapped right back. He stood up.

"What did I do to you, Zuzu," Toph muttered, but she didn't press the issue any further, slumping in her seat, her face laid against her fist. Azula sighed.

"You know well enough why we can't stay here," Azula said. She tentatively added, "Though I can understand why you would like to rest for a while longer, it just isn't --"

"What Zuko meant," Katara said, putting a hand on Toph's shoulder, "Is that we need to help Aang. He may be in danger, and until we know for certain why all of this is happening, we shouldn't rest too long."

"I know, Katara," Toph murmured, "Just so tired."

Azula narrowed her eyes at Katara, who gave her a split-second grin. It chilled her. It wasn't usual that she was beaten at her own game. Sokka watched the exchange curiously. "Why don't you girls go on ahead. I want a word with our leader real quick."

"She's not our leader," Toph bristled.

"Whatever Azula is, then," Sokka said, tiredly, "Go ahead, I'll be fine! Really!"

Katara looked at Azula for the briefest of moments, before turning back to Sokka. She nodded slowly, and said, "Come on, Toph, let's get going."

The three girls left, leaving Azula seated with Sokka at the table, and she looked a bit perplexed. Sokka's face was quite serious, for a change, set in a stony expression that didn't betray a hint of emotion. If it weren't for the way his finger nervously tapped against the table, Azula wouldn't have had a clue what he was thinking.

"You should be careful, around Katara I mean."

"Oh?" She arched her brow, "And why are you telling me this, Sokka?"

"Why? Because I don't want to see you getting hurt because of her stupid grudge. Look, don't get the wrong idea. The stuff you did before? The _person_ you were before? I hate them. Everything about you was rotten, there wasn't anything good there."

"My, and here I was about to fall head over heals for you," Azula drolly smirked.

"Whatever," he said, dismissively. And Azula's eyes widened ever so slightly.

It was to be one of those talks, was it? So be it. "So, why do you help me and not side with your sister?"

"I don't know," he answered. He wasn't lying, that was what made Azula most interested about this. She leaned closer. "You just seem different, now. Like, I don't know, you had something there that you lost but someone found it for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, that stuff we were talking about earlier, about how Yue's repressed feelings created that spirit? Well, I got to thinking," he said, "We all got sides we don't see. It's like a play, we got all these costumes and props we use, masks we wear, so people don't see who we are under the make-up. All that lying and trickery, just makes me wonder, maybe I didn't see something and Aang did."

"I see."

"He believed in you 'til the end, you know. He used to visit you almost as much as your brother did."

"I'm honored by your fleeting presence."

"Look, he visited you every day he could, Zuko and Aang both."

"I know," Azula scoffed. "But I'm not sure I can accept that his reasons were altruistic, not yet. Sokka -- you do not understand and you probably never will."

"You're right."

"Of course I am."

"But that doesn't mean I don't have an idea," Sokka said, "Your Dad was a piece of work, no offense. I mean, Zuko's told me some of the stuff he put you through. They did tests on humans, huh? Tried to make them Benders and you two were there --"

"No," Azula said, coldly, "We won't discuss that now. Perhaps never."

"Right, yeah, sorry," Sokka answered, darting his eyes to someplace that wasn't her frigid eyes. "Look, all I'm saying is, from what I heard, he never trusted you, and I guess you probably never trusted him."

"Maybe," Azula frowned. She looked uncomfortable, and Sokka's analysis seemed to strike too close to her heart. "What I simply meant was that I will never have the happy loving sibling love you have with Katara."

"I don't know about that," Sokka said, "I fight with my sister all the time."

"It isn't the same."

"Guess not," Sokka said. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you'd probably better watch out."

"Yes, of course," Azula said, looking at him, curiously. "And I thank you for that. I was aware of Katara's animosity, but still, the sentiment is," she tried to think of a word, "NIce? No," she dug deeper, "Touching."

"You're welcome," Sokka said. "Come on, everyone's probably waiting."

* * *

"What took you so long?" Katara nearly shouted when they arrived, "Security's been wondering why we're loitering around here, and they're getting really suspicious."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Azula said, "I should have told Zuzu to dress a little less threateningly. Really, the yanki look isn't you, brother."

Zuko just glowered at her. Azula smiled, pleased at his reaction. "Let's get going, then, what are we waiting for?" Sokka said, pushing the Houou siblings out of the way as he opened the door into the maze. "Our destination awaits."

"What a convenient way to travel," Yue said, ponderously as she stepped through. The cool air of the labyrinth seemed punctuated by a warm breeze. Yue's expression turned more alert as she stepped further in.

The others looked around, a bit surprised. "Usually this place is so cool," Toph said, "The heat's not a bad touch, but, hey, it probably means something's about to eat us. Yue, you see anything?"

Azula frowned. The warm air was dry and she could feel her skin wanting to shrivel up with every breath. The obnoxious tune from the store faded away into nothing when Zuko closed the door behind them. The maze seemed different. The walls seemed to be darker, narrower, as shadows loomed larger.

Yue frowned. "Something is close, yes. We should probably proceed carefully." She smiled, "The good news is, we aren't too far from another one of these doors. Perhaps it will lead us closer to the dormitory?"

"I doubt it," Zuko said, "But maybe we should investigate it anyway."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Katara said, "It may be locked, anyway, and either way, we're really not that well rested. I think we should just see if we can't find the dormitory the old-fashioned way."

"Azula, it's up to you," Yue said. Azula frowned. Katara made a couple of good points, but at the same token, her instinct favored Zuko's decision.

The creaking got louder. Hands reached at the corners of the maze, pulling closer.

Azula was about to speak when Toph interrupted her. "Hurry it up, Power Princess!"

"I am!" Azula snapped. "We'll investigate the door." She would trust her instinct, since it never let her down before. "Maybe it won't lead us closer to home, maybe it will, but even if we can't enter it, there must be a reason Yue is drawn to it, yes?"

"I suppose so," Katara moaned. "All right."

"Anyone feeling a little claustrophobic?" Sokka wondered, "Like, did this place get smaller?"

"It's a trick of the light," Katara said. "Toph, you don't feel it, do you?"

"Nope."

"See? It's your eyes playing tricks on you," Katara laughed.

They walked down those corridors, not noticing the looming shadow behind them, clawing at the walls, moving ever so closer, casting its shadow deep across them, and vanishing when they would turn behind.

"Something's following us," Azula said.

The spirit lingered silently above them, its fingers dug deep into the stone.

"Yes, I feel it too," Yue said. She looked back, and frowned, "But where?"

Like stalks, arms with many hands struck out for the ceiling above them, slipping like a moving shadow above them, moving in the direction they proceeded, while their eyes were cast behind. It dropped down and clung to the walls, waiting for them to move.

"It's moving around," Yue said, "But I don't see where --"

The creature saw her and knew her to be its greatest threat. Yue turned and found herself thrown against the wall by two long, powerful arms. She cried out, and the others turned to see nothing but a lingering shadow.

"What happened?" Katara's voice was more alert, more caring. She put down her bag, and approached Yue. "Yue, are you okay? Speak to me!"

"I'm fine," she murmured, "It's nearby. A shadow --"

In the nest of hands and arms that made up the spirit, small white eyes opened up, and a long, crescent moon smile formed beneath them. Arms struck out from across the way, knocking Katara off her feet and climbing up to the ceiling, pulling the image across the ground.

"Where is it? Let me at 'em!" Toph shouted. Zuko drew his swords and struck at the dangling arms. The creature made no noise, but its face changed from a smile to a scowl. The arms dropped to the ground, melting into the cracks in the mortar, and vanishing.

"There, that one hurt it!" Sokka laughed.

"I don't think it did," Zuko said. He prepared to strike back when another set of arms grabbed him from behind, pulling him into the wall with a loud smash.

"Zuko!" Yue called out, "Get up!"

"My turn," Sokka said. "Boomerang'll get him!" He threw it at the ceiling-suspended spirit, and it bounced off of the hands, falling to the ground. "Or maybe it won't."

"I don't think this is working," Azula said. She grabbed a bottle of water from her pack and opened it.

"You can waterbend?" Sokka's voice sputtered out in surprise. Azula smirked, bending the water out of the bottle and --

Knocking herself clean into the wall, leaving her sopping wet. "Apparently not," Toph chuckled. Azula pulled herself up, and drew the air in around her. The sudden vacuum caused the spirit to turn in her direction, Arms lunging out to grab her.

They were blown aside by the cyclone of wind around her. She moved in perfect time with it, striking out, and the wind became like an extension of her movements. The spirit was knocked down from its perch, but pulled itself up quickly, latching to the wall and moving with a great burst of speed towards Azula.

"Guys," Sokka began, "We should maybe run."

"I agree," Yue said. "Azula, we can't win this fight!"

"I disagree," Azula said, coldly. Gale bursts of wind tore through the corridor, throwing the spirit against the wall and letting it drip slowly to the ground. Its arms extended forward, more ripping out of its body and it grew, larger and larger.

"Azula! You're going to get us all killed!" Katara shouted.

"I have control of the situation," Azula snapped right back. Yue looked to Katara and then back at Azula.

"Azula, please, we need to retreat!"

Azula scowled. The multitude of arms struck her, knocking her back and forther. Barely holding onto her footing, Azula cast her eyes around the long passage. The hands were everywhere, but she couldn't see the spirit anymore.

"Will someone just grab her and let's get out of here?"

"Right, on it," Sokka said. He threw himself into the fray, sword cutting through the shadowy sinews. He reached out and grabbed Azula by the wrist and pulled, much to the girl's shock. "Let's go!"

Azula could do little more than let herself be dragged along as the group ran through the corridor, the horrible scraping sound of a thousand hands clawing down the hallways growing quieter and quieter as they did.

"Okay, we definitely need to get away from whatever that is!" Toph shouted. "Even I could see you guys getting your butts kicked!"

"We're very close to that door," Yue said, brightly, "Perhaps we can use that as a way to escape from it."

"Sounds good, let's move it," Sokka exclaimed. Azula slowly wrested her arm back from Sokka and stopped. He turned, and everyone slowly stopped, looking back at her. She sighed, grabbing arm and rubbing it.

"I said it was under control," she said, quietly.

"Doesn't sound like she's got anything under control," Toph muttered in retort.

"It was under control!" she snapped back.

"Azula, please calm down," Yue said, interposing herself. "We need to conserve our strength, for now."

Azula frowned, looking Yue over, and then, finally, she nodded. "Excellent point, Yue. Very well, this time I will overlook it, but remember, I'm the one calling the shots, here."

"Why?"

Everyone's eyes darted to Katara, except for Sokka's. He was too busy closing them and pinching the bridge of his nose to turn. "Not now, Katara, any time but now."

"Isn't it obvious? Aang chose me to receive his powers, obviously I should lead."

"I don't know how you got his Avatar powers, Azula," Katara said, looking her dead in the eye, "But if you don't watch yourself, I'll make sure to take them from you, by force if I have to. I don't know how, but I'll find a way."

Azula and Katara stared at each other for what seemed like an uninterrupted eternity, until the sound of the scraping hands of their pursuer became louder. "Guys, not exactly the time," Toph said. "We need to get out of here, and fast."

* * *

The door, which like the ones before was not really so much a feature of the maze as an adornment, hanging just above the ground like it were a hanging portrait, It was adorned in blue and white, a small ivory plate was bolted into the door, on which was inscribed "II." An ornate handle shaped both like a fish and a girl was held tight, locked.

The dry heat that permeated the corridors seemed to be eminating from behind it, and beneath it, grains of sand had leaked out from the small gap between the frame and the door. None of these details mattered.

The creature was in hot pursuit and the Bending Club were forced into a corner. Its myriad hands pushed them down the hallway, slamming them across the ground. "We're so close," Yue murmured, "Just a little further!"

Azula whipped up the air around her into a furor, throwing out gusts of wind from her outstretched arms and trying her best to avoid the multitude of arms that jut out of the wall in her direction. Katara was already running for the door, when she was knocked clear aside by a long, snaking arm.

Sokka swung his sword at it, and turned to grab the handle. "It's locked!" he shouted. "Azula, that key!"

Azula nodded, spinning around with a wide roundhouse kick and grabbing from her bag the strange key that mysterious Lee had given her. She threw it back towards Sokka, and moved to avoid being slammed back into the ground by the massive shadowy hand that shot out of the ceiling.

"Is it me or is this thing getting bigger?" Zuko snarled, blades cutting through the spirit's shadowy tendrils as he shouted.

"It does seem to be," Yue squeaked.

The key landed on the ground with a clank. Sokka reached for it but was thrown aside by the spirit's many limbs.

"Someone, get that key!" Sokka shouted. "Toph! Katara! Yue! Anyone!"

"Oh, I'll just look for it," Toph shouted, anxiously.

"Well, if you can remember how to Earthbend, too, that'd be peachy," Sokka retorted.

"I've got it!" Katara said, reaching for the key. If she was paying more attention, she would have seen the markings on the key change to match the door, but she was too busy reaching to open it. The key dove in, and Katara pulled it out as the door swung slowly open.

The bright sunlight cast into the corridor, forcing the spirit back. The hands caught in the rays of light that burst out of the door began to sizzle and burn. "Guys, hurry!" Katara urged. The creature screeched in an inhuman tongue as the light threatened to engulf it, but the Bending Club scurried through the door.

Azula and Katara took up the rear. "The key," Azula said, holding her hand out for it. Katara reluctantly reached out to return it. "What are you waiting for?"

A cornered animal will fight back until the last, and the spirit, cornered as it was, resorted to primal reasoning. Shooting out its arms through the light, pushing past the pain, the spirit grabbed at the key, pushing Katara and Azula barreling through the door.

The key fell from the disintegrating shadows, falling through the door.

It landed in the desert dunes. There was no one around to see it.

* * *

It was much the same for Azula.

First thing, was everything accounted for. The added sand in her hair and clothes not-withstanding, it seemed that she was quite in one piece, which considering the situation a moment earlier, was definitely something of a miracle.

Secondly, she tried to remember the last few minutes clearly. She had been falling for only about ten seconds, but it was enough to cause her to focus strictly on that. Whoever placed a door in this place, they didn't have the sense to put it close to the ground. The rest of the time had been spent in a daze. The sand had softened her landing, somewhat. It wasn't, however, ideal.

The pain in her head was finally beginning to subside, and she was relatively sure she was all right. That led her to focus on her belongings. The bag, with all of the supplies she had, was strewn about the dune. She would have to take care of that shortly, but right then and there, she preferred to remain focused on her bearings.

The final thing she needed to worry about was the rest of the group.

"Is everyone all right?"

There was no answer.

This was wonderful, they either broke their necks with the fall or they'd been separated -- again -- and with the memories of the fake Yue from the garden clear in her head, she now had another very large problem. One of her friends -- her team -- would be acting very strange the next time she saw them.

A desert -- perhaps Toph's? -- she amused herself with thinking of an Other-Toph. Probably, she reasoned, able to see, no less.

Toph seemed the most reasonable person to have created a desert. The air sucked up all the moisture in her skin, and left her lips feeling parched. The sun served only to make the landscape more bleak. Her feet sank into the sand,

It went on forever, Azula thought.

There were no landmarks, no large rocky hills, no lonesome cacti, just sand, sand everywhere. The heat was getting more and more unbearable as she walked forward, leaving a long trail of her footsteps behind. Where else could she go but forward.

* * *

Azula walked for eternity.

She, however, was only human. She took a conservative sip of her water, suddenly very glad to have it with her. Her feet felt scratched from the sand that got in her shoes, and she had already undone the handkerchief of her uniform, letting in some air -- dry and hot thought it was -- cool her.

She collapsed in the sand a moment later, spilling much of that water in the arid sands.

She looked around her. Everything seemed so similar, that it was hard to tell where she was or where she was going. However, there was one very clear sign in front of her that filled her with rage and frustration.

In front of her were a set of footprints leading out forward. She stood, walked over to them, dread filling her as she surveyed them. Though they were covered up, she could still make out the size and shape of a feminine shoe belonging to a Phoenix School uniform. She placed her foot next to one, and pulled away.

She stared at them.

They were hers. There was no doubt about that.

"Circles. I've been walking in circles," she said. "All this time." She felt her focus become blurry, and she laughed, a harsh, empty laugh, "All this time! Perfect! How long have I been here, days? Weeks? Months?"

She wouldn't be beaten by this, not by anyone, and least of all by herself. She fought hard to reason, there was no way she'd been in here for more than a handful of hours, probably much less than that.

It was that sun, playing tricks on her. It hung high over her, casting a shadow across the sand, growing long, like spindly fingers across the irridescent sand. It glimmered as her shadow waved across it, the sun seeming to move as she stumbled.

Azula stopped. She turned herself around, and she began down a different direction.

_To be continued._


	8. All Laid Bare

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"In the light men are crossing over dried river, without hope for water to stay long."_

_- Want to be Close - Reincarnation-_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 7: **_All Laid Bare_

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Azula rationed herself carefully, but it was hard to tell how long had passed. There was no indication. She couldn't trust her body. Her body ached from the walking, the heat pounding at her like she'd never felt before.

There was nothing in the desert, absolutely nothing but the distant caw of vulture-wasps. Scavengers, waiting for her to keel over and die, hardly a death befitting someone as powerful and beautiful as Azula Houou.

At least, that's what she kept repeating in her head. Underneath that bravado, traitorous thoughts rebelled. She was dying, there was no explanation for the aches of her body, and the fact that despite how much water she drowned herself in she would only get thirstier. A losing battle in a desert with no end.

She sank to her knees. The fatigue was too great, and she couldn't go on. The dry wind washed over her, and she shivered. It was so hot, so unbearably hot, and the sand seemed as welcoming as any bed.

She laid herself down and stared up into the empty sky.

The sun was there, certainly, bearing down on her with its unrelenting heat. The sun was a funny thing. So bright, so comforting, and yet unbelieveably powerful. To a Firebender, nothing else in the universe was greater than it.

The sands brushed against her face as another breeze picked up. She was so tired from walking. She could just close her eyes here, let the winds wrap her beneath the sand, forgotten forever in this desert.

It was surprisingly comforting.

Her eyelids drooped.

It wasn't so bad, actually. Just sleeping, right? She'd wake up and shake off that sand and continue forward.

Just a little more and her eyes would be closed --

"What did I just stand in now?"

That annoyed voice, the loud exclamation, the abrupt disruption of her dignified final moments: Azula knew who this was. Her eyes darted open and she stood up, throwing the barefeet on her chest up in the air as she did. "Toph!"

"Where'd you come from, Azula?"

Azula quaked in fury. Toph's flippant smile was amplified by the brightness of the sun, and she threw her hands behind the back of her head with such casual ignorance for what she'd done. It was insincere enough to make Azula's head hurt.

"Never mind that," she answered, from behind her teeth. The sanctity of the moment forgotten, Azula wrapped her arms around herself and frowned. "This place has a -- a feel about it."

"Tell me about it," Toph said. "Is there any end in sight?"

"It's better you don't know."

"That bad, huh?" she frowned, but then exchanged it for another flippant smirk, "So, what were you doing on the ground anyway?"

"I was tired," she answered. She was glad that the strange, invasive impulse had left her. There was something else about the desert that unsettled her. It was wearing at the shreds of sanity that she had, the heat and the hopeless expanse like a grindstone. She'd had to have been here for days.

"So? Keep moving! You stop here and some big sand worm's liable to swallow you whole."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Walk," she paused, thinking for a moment, and adding, hastily, "Without rhythm."

"Am I the only one you found?" Azula asked, pointedly ignoring the previous statement. She couldn't walk forever, and it was only a matter of time before fatigue and heat would lay her so low she wouldn't have any other choice.

"Yeah," Toph said, slowly. "What hit us, anyway? I thought we'd just go through the door like last time and then I wake up and find I'm all alone and everything's all sand-ish."

"Good question," Azula answered, entertaining theories in her head silently. "It seems this maze seeks to divide and conquer us. Be alert, Toph, it may try and separate us again."

Toph nodded, casually. She kicked a lump of sand up and shrugged. "So what else am I going to do?" Azula simply scoffed, turning to trudge through the deep sands. The heat of the sun seared the ground, leaving it a baked, golden color as the sands were gently turned by the passing wind.

"Always moving in circles," Azula said, weakly.

"What's that mean?"

Azula turned to Toph, frowning, "It means I don't know where we're going. I keep ending back where I started. It's infuriating. Whoever is responsible for this is going to feel my wrath."

"Don't look at me," Toph said, putting her hands up, "I'm not the one who made this place."

"As far as you know," Azula retorted, snorting angrily. "Anyhow, we need to find some way through this maze. There must be a trick of some kind, some clue or landmark that I'm missing."

"I don't know, Spicegirl," Toph muttered, "Seems to me that we just got to keep on trudging through this place. It ain't like some oasis is going to appear in the middle of nowhere if we keep looking hard enough."

"Where is Yue?" Azula shouted, angrily. "If we just had her here, we would know where to go."

"Don't be so sure of that," Toph said. "Look, if we keep poking around in the desert, the others are sure to pop up. Why don't we just keep going on going on, okay?"

Azula frowned, but nodded. There wasn't any other choice. The endless desert welcomed them further into its expanse.

* * *

"Water. Water."

Sokka hacked dryly, his parched lips reaching out for the bottle on Zuko's pack. The other boy's eyes narrowed and he moved away sharply. "We need to conserve this, Sokka. We'll ration it out when we've found the others."

"But we've been wandering around this place forever!"

"I know that!" Zuko snapped. The two boys exchanged glances, and a tense silence fell over them. They were both caked in sand, and the wind fiercly whipped up around them, assaulting them with even more.

"Man, just a sip, please?"

"Just a sip," Zuko levelled, holding the water out, "If you gulp down another mouthful I'm going to punch you in the stomach."

Sokka took a quick sip and handed it back, "I may be thirsty but I'm not stupid," Sokka shot back, angrily. "Really, what's gotten you so ticked off anyway?" Zuko glanced at the desert, and then glanced back. "Okay, so, fine," Sokka stuttered, "That's a good reason, but we're okay."

"What makes you think we're safe here? What if there's a spirit as strong as whatever that thing was back there."

"Well, then we just run for the hills."

"What hills?"

"It's an expression, okay? Don't be so literal," Sokka muttered. "This is strange, really strange."

"Tell me about it."

"This is a maze," Sokka said, "But there aren't any walls. An infinite number of passages to go down, and no indication where they end. It's like a video game!"

"You'd know about that, wouldn't you?" Zuko glowered.

"Like you've never played a video game in your life," Sokka countered. He looked around and frowned, "Still, I hate those things, and this is a little more complicated than go up, down, left, or right."

"So we make a wrong turn and we're lost forever"

"I don't think so," Sokka answered. "I think we just end up walking in circles. We'll be wandering forever if we don't figure out something."

"Perfect." Zuko grumbled, looking about the desert. "There's got to be something. The sun, the wind, the way the sand is blown, something."

"That's just griping over small details," Sokka said, "It's got to be easier than that. We need to find Yue. Not only with her amazing moon powers will she be able to divine the path we have to go through, we'll be able to find everyone."

* * *

"I don't think I like this desert!" Yue cried out, angrily.

This was rare. Rarer still, she was lost. Totally, hopelessly lost. Her senses kept yelling back at her. Sight and sound were still okay, as far as she could tell. The desert went on endlessly, the vulture-wasps were getting noisier, and her nose was working since she could smell the sweat. She wiped her brow.

Taste was a bit rougher, her lips were parched and her tongue was dried out. Touch, well, she could feel the sweat as she brushed it off her hand. It was her sixth sense that was missing.

Being the Moon Spirit had its perks. The Spirit World was a wild, untamed place with a tendency to move around to confuse those not native to it, this translated in spirits being naturally capable of sensing the world around them and anticipating where the world would move next. This extended further, as well, as being able to sense people.

The desert threw all that out of order. Everywhere she looked, there were barriers, but if she walked through them, she'd just end up disoriented and lost and back where she started. To make matters worse, her friends were jumping about as well. She could faintly sense Azula and Toph close together, while Sokka and Zuko were literally bouncing back and forth as they moved, and Katara was the worst! She was in two places at once. She grumbled.

"This desert is, is," she struggled for a word strong enough to voice her displeasure, "So mildly annoying!"

* * *

The desert sands brushed against Azula's face and Azula raised her hand to brush it off, lowering it slowly as the futility of the effort settled into her head, and she fell back into her steps. Toph, besides her, would not stop talking.

She wasn't really saying anything meaningful, just snippets of thoughts as they popped into her head, and Azula's temper was beginning to wear thin.

"So, what's up with you lately?"

"Oh, I don't know, Toph," Azula sighed wearily at the sudden question, "Perhaps I spent the past few months in a comatose state, perhaps I'm a little on edge, or maybe, just maybe, I'm as crazy as you think."

"Hey, lay off, Power Princess."

"Toph, I am trying to figure out a system to get out of here, and your talking is not helping!"

"Don't try so hard, then," Toph snorted, "You're like not saying anything at all, I keep thinking you've died since I can't hear you."

"Obviously I'm okay."

Toph grumbled angrily and kicked up some sand at Azula. Steady and emotionless, Azula didn't even turn to face Toph, and just closed her eyes and lifted her hands up. The sands blasted up in the sudden burst of wind and Toph was knocked clean off her feet and tumbled backwards.

And then she disappeared from sight.

Azula stared for a while, dumbfounded by the sudden disappearance. "Toph?" Azula slowly approached where Toph stood and called out, quieter now, "Toph, where are you?"

"That hurt, you jerk!"

The voice was clear and near, but she couldn't see Toph anywhere. She looked down at the sand before her and noticed for the first time that there was a sudden drop there.

At the bottom of the small crevice, Toph stood, steadying herself against the cliff-face. "Toph, are you okay?"

"No, I just fell from something. What did you do that for?"

"This is remarkable," Azula said, "Wait right there, I'm coming down."

"Like I got a choice," Toph grunted, her bangs keeping her eyes carefully hidden from view. Azula descended with a soft 'woomph' and the kicking up of some sand. "So what's the big idea, you see this drop and say, hey, that'd be funny."

"No, I didn't," Azula said, "It was just by chance. Perhaps a trick of the light, but this little secret passage has a clear direction we can take."

"Great! Progress at the cost of my heart. You really know how to make everything all better, Azula."

"What can I say? It's a gift. Come on."

Azula stepped forward walking sideways to pass through the narrowest portions of the crevice. It was a hidden passage, just small enough to hide from the eye beneath the distortions of heat and exhaustion. Toph was easily able to squeeze through these tight spaces, as tiny as she was.

"What?"

Azula scoffed, confused.

"Feels like you're staring at me," Toph muttered.

"Not at all," Azula answered.

Besides the size of the passage, there was also a degree of coolness not afforded in the desert above, a pleasant spring breeze wafting from somewhere in the depths of the crevice. "Wonder what that is," Toph stated, wondrously, as if stumbling upon the same obvservation as Azula reached moments earlier.

"We'll have to find out," Azula said, but she had a clear idea already.

And not even a few feet further did it come into her sight. A door in space, just like the one within the garden before. Azula started to laugh, "Well, let's find out whose past we visit now."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're about to find out."

Azula approached the door, and twisted the handle open. She was assaulted by spring-time, the light colors and pleasant breeze entered the sands like they were invading, bursting throught the frame, no longer wanting to be contained. "What did you do?" Toph wondered as Azula stepped through the door.

"Come on, and watch your step."

"Watch my what now -- Ooph!" Toph stumbled through the door and landed hard against the pavement. "What did I just hit?" She groped at the ground, suddenly very familiar and did a brief sweep of the ground again to be sure, "No sand?"

"No sand," Azula confirmed. "This is the main gate of our school."

"Great, that so narrows down who could have made this place to everyone."

"No," Azula said, watching with great care as a girl stumbled up towards the school, looking mousy and completely overwhelmed by the place's Fire Nation architecture. Her hair done up in loops in front and tied up in back. Azula frowned. "Katara."

* * *

Markings in the sand, arrows that began to wear away as the wind blasted the sands across them, led their path slowly through the desert. Sokka busily crafted another one as they moved. "I don't know how well this will work, but at least we'll know which we went last time, right?"

Zuko nodded. He had to admit, this wasn't a bad idea. "I think we're making some progress."

"Me too," Sokka said. "Feels like we're getting somewhere, finally."

Zuko nodded in agreement. The formerly endless expanses of sand seemed less intimidating now, and though sometimes they had to guess which way they went previously, they'd made it further than they had before, more and more unmarked lengths on the trail.

There was a slight incline to the sand now, and it grew sharper as they moved forward. Reaching the top of the incline, they looked out at a large ruined structure, pieces that fell into the sand and large struts that held strong, made of some white stone that shimmered in the sun.

"Whoa," Sokka said, "That's massive."

"It looks like we found something, finally," Zuko said. He stared at the slope down and frowned, "You lead."

"Why me?"

"Because if anyone's going to slip and fall, it's going to be you."

"Baby," Sokka muttered. "All right, I, Sokka Floes, shall lead our expedition into the ruins. And take all the glory that comes with it, also. Can't forget that."

And it was a treacherous climb down. The sands sifted through his fingers when he tried to grab hold of something. Sharp, hidden stones lanced at his feet as he went down, and Zuko just watched, following him from a safe distance across the path.

"See, this is nothing," Sokka said. "We'll be there in no time whatsoev-ahh!"

The sand beneath his feet gave way, causing him to fall several feet and land harshly upon a cold stone floor. The sand that had welled at the bottom had broken his fall, but his body still ached afterwards. "Sokka?" Zuko called down, "You alive?"

"No, I think I broke my neck," Sokka moaned, trying to straighten his head and get a look around the cavernn he'd stumbled upon.

"Good thing you led, huh?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Sokka muttered. Zuko's smirk was too smug, he thought, he'd have to punch it off him later. He walked about the cavern, his eyes narrowing at the torches that, while unlit, seemed to only recently have extinguished. "Someone's been here," he concluded.

"What?"

"Someone's been down here. Maybe one of the others. There's a tunnel here, maybe we could follow it."

"Coming."

Sokka turned and saw Zuko descend from above, landing perfectly on his feet, and rising from the crouch, he just glowered back at Sokka's dumbfounded expression. "I could have done that," Sokka said, blustering, "I just didn't want to."

The two followed the tunnel a while, groping the walls for guidance. They kept quiet, speaking only when necessary, and growing ever more anxious.

After a while, Sokka whispered, quietly, "I'm not so sure that it was one of ours that lit those torches anymore."

Zuko grunted in agreement.

"Better be careful, you take the lead."

"Fine."

Zuko took to the lead, passing through the passage slowly and deliberately. Sokka stayed behind, looking even more anxious as they went further in. The soft light of a burning torch in the distance made it all the quicker to move through, but they continued at a steady pace.

"Do you see anything?" Sokka wondered.

"Yeah."

"What?"

"A whole lot of doors."

"You know what, on second thought, I don't really want to know -- what?"

"A lot of doors," Zuko said,. He looked at them, all floating mysteriously, most without any handles he could see. "This is weird."

"Just like in the maze," Sokka commented. "Azula said there were some in the garden, too. They led to the past, or something?"

"So they said," Zuko said.

"See if you can open one of these," Sokka said. "I've got to see this for myself." He tugged at a door, then pushed, neither seemed to provoke a response. "Come on! Open already!"

"No luck here," Zuko said, "Looks like they're locked."

"I got it," Sokka said, snapping his finger, "We need Azula's key to get in! That's the only logical explanation."

Zuko shrugged. "Well, then we have to find Azula. So, let's get to it, partner!"

"Wait a second," Zuko said. Sokka looked over at him, and nodded. Something was amiss. Sokka let his ears and eyes scan the surroundings. Sure enough, foot steps, and they were getting closer. "You hear that?"

"Yep," Sokka said. He drew his weapon, slowly, "Think it's something nasty?"

Zuko nodded, drawing as well.

"I see you boys are happy to see me," a sultry voice drawled, stepping behind doors, practically traipsing through the room, just out of sight. Whoever it was, they moved light, and when they turned to catch a glimpse, all they saw was a flash of hair.

"Who are you?" Sokka said, his voice anxious. His ears, he reasoned, were playing tricks on him. "Show yourself."

"From the top," the voice said, pushing a door open, "Ka," another door flung open just as suddenly, causing the two to turn, "Ta."

"Don't finish that --" Sokka warned, turning as another door burst open and a girl slunk through the empty frame.

" -- Ra." She smiled. It was Katara, all right, but every brotherly impulse in his body was flaring up. Everything was wrong. She was dressed for a day at the beach, but the clothes were certainly more revealing than anything Katara would wear in public.

He glared over at Zuko, receiving only a confused retort, "What?"

"Now, now, don't get jealous, big brother," Katara giggled. "Zuko's too much of a gentleman, that's why he can't even get to second base."

"What!" Zuko's eyes bugged out, and then he backed away apprehensively, "Who told you that."

"Mai, though she told me to keep it a secret. She's convinced we were an item and really, who wouldn't. It was nice letting people think I had the new hotness on a leash."

"I know this isn't the real Katara," Zuko muttered, "But this is ridiculous. You're just making stuff up now!"

"Am I really?" Katara's other self asked, her darkened eyes glistening sinisterly, "Zuko, you once told me that you killed my mother. And you really believed it too! It was so funny when it turns out that Agni killed her, I almost couldn't take you seriously for a week."

"Whoa, Katara, calm down. He was like eight when that happened," Sokka said.

"Yeah, same age as you. I remember how you used to wet your bed when you were eight, that was a riot. But of course I had to do the washing, so thanks a lot, bro."

"Hey, you promised not to tell anyone that!"

"Oh, sorry, I totally forgot," she said in a airy deadpan. She twirled her hair between her fingers, "Anyway, what was it I wanted to tell you. Like, I remember now!" Zuko averted his eyes as she reached onto her person and pulled out a strangely shaped piece of metal. "You were looking for this, right?"

"The key!" Sokka shouted, "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. But honest, I didn't take it from anyone. If I did, I'd tell you for sure and junk."

"Give it back!" Sokka shouted.

"No way, bro bro," she said, spinning it expertly into the air and catching it, "Finders keepers losers weepers. I totally called dibs on it, so it's mine. Too bad, so sad!"

"And I thought Yue's other self was stuck up," Zuko growled. "This can't really be another side of Katara, right? This is just some joke."

"I don't buy it, either,"

Bouncing suddenly between the bubbly persona she had taken towards a darker sort, she prowled forward with every intent in her sinews being focused on the two in front of her, she gave a sexy smile and said, "You boys don't believe I'm the real thing? Too bad. You won't be getting this key, then."

"Hey! Stop that!" Zuko shouted, looking about nervously.

"All I wanted to do was play a little game. It's so boring waiting for her all alone, won't you boys keep me company?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Sokka said, he looked apprehensively towards Zuko and with a glance communicated they both knew that they had no other options, "But what kind of game."

"Oh, like, for real?" Katara's eyes bounced back to life. "You won't regret agreeing!"

"I don't recall making saying that!" Sokka shouted, but it was too late. Katara opened a door and threw them in with a shove.

"Oh, come on, bro! It'll be great!" she shouted as Sokka plummeted down through the door, "All you got to do is, y'know, find me!"

* * *

"That's Katara?"

"Yes," Azula said. Toph and herself hid behind the trees planted along the gate to follow Katara through the school. The thinning crowds of students and the clock teetering closer to the beginning of classes made this all the harder, but Katara also tended to stay apart from the crowds.

"No way. Sugar Queen's like a total popularity snob," Toph protested, "That can't be her."

"This is her first day," Azula pointed out. "Just transferred from another school. Taken a bit by surprise, but my father's offer was one they couldn't refuse."

"Yeah, but people make friends on the first day, right?" Toph suggested. "She's just keeping to herself."

"And looking awkward, too," Azula pointed out, wryly. "That's how I remember meeting her, actually. She's out of her element, here."

"No kidding," Toph said, "She couldn't be more of a fish in a lava pool than this."

Azula nodded.

They probably would have been more alert if they weren't so busy following Katara, and they would have noticed the looks they received from one student, who then proceeded to bump into another in an entirely too subtle way, and that student's suddenly brisk walk inside would have set off klaxons.

But they missed all of those signs, and when a low, dry voice from behind them asked, "What are you ladies doing?" they nearly jumped out of their skins.

Azula turned and came face to face with Long Feng. The Disciplinary Committee's faculty advisor and the most feared man on campus cut a rather intimidating profile in the spring sky, darkening clouds for miles around.

"Miss Azula," he continued, "I'd expect more from you."

"Of course you would," Azula said, without missing a beat, "Which is why this test was absolutely necessary."

"Test?"

"Yes, test. Are your ears going?" she asked, testily, "My father wanted me to make sure that the school's disciplinary committee was doing its job. That was a hefty budget you put in this year, you know."

"Well, yes, but all necessary," Long Feng said, suddenly a bit off-guard by Azula's apparent omniscience.

"Absolutely, I can see that now. Your committee acted without prejudice, and I thoroughly believe we all should be held to the same standards. Don't you agree, Long Feng?"

"Absolutely. Absolutely true, Miss Azula. I'm glad to see you have a good head on your shoulders."

"Thank you, Long Feng. I'm glad we have as reliable a supervisor as you. I fear without you, the Disciplinary Committee would lose direction, focus. You're an essential part of this school, and I'm going to let my father know that. Chairman Zhao will also be alerted."

"You're too kind, Miss Azula," Long Feng said, "But I'm afraid I have other things to attend to, today. Do behave yourself from now on, I'd hate for further misunderstandings of this sort to occur"

"Understood," Azula said, nodding her head. When he was gone, she rolled her eyes, "That old fool is more trouble than he's worth."

"How did you do that?"

"What?"

"Lie like you had it all made up in your head. I know you didn't expect the Dail Li."

"No one expects the Disciplinary Committee," Azula bristled, "I merely knew that he was a worthless sycophant and considering when we are, I knew he would fall in line. If we'd been a few months later, I doubt that would have worked so well."

"I see. Man, oh man, you were a pro. I wish you weren't totally crazy, I'd totally be your biggest fan."

Yes, Azula wryly thought, that was just what she needed. Setting aside the disparaging cmoments of her sanity, Azula just didn't know how she would deal with a tagalong Toph. There'd be times when she'd be useful, certainly, but she was beginning to wear thin already. "Let's just move out."

"So what do we even do here? Is there like another door we need to find?"

"I don't know," Azula frowned, "Last time, Katara just broke the whole thing."

"Oh, right, right. Well, let's get to breaking it!"

"It isn't that simple," Azula said, testily, "It isn't so easy as creating a time paradox. If it were, all I'd have to do is find and talk to myself." She frowned, "And that opportunity may be presenting itself right now."

"Why?"

"That car," she said, "The one that pulled in. It's Zhao's. He must be briefing me on our newest recruit. This was a few days after Zuko's little tantrum, I think," she tapped her chin, "Or had that happened yet?"

The younger Azula slunk out of the passenger's side door and walked around to the gate, and Azula studied herself intently. She was only a year or so older now, but still, she really seemed different than that mocking parody she saw in the mirror.

So elegantly, she walked to the front, the entire crowd parted for her, and a hush fell over them. "They feared me," Azula said, smiling, watching.

"You sound way too happy about that,"

"Why shouldn't I?" Azula hissed, "The school respected me, for my influence and power. I was going to run for Student Council president that year."

"Yeah, yeah," Toph muttered, "I know. And you won, even though there were better candidates."

"If I weren't --"

"Whatever, let's just go! Stop gawking at yourself and let's move. We got to find Katara, remember?"

Azula hesitated, and relented. The crowd was thinning, following the other Azula inside, They entered at the tail. The school itself didn't change much in a year, but the people milling around seemed so different.

"Hey, Azula, I thought you were off to the Principal's office," someone said, "Why are you still hanging around the foot lockers."

"Sorry, Miss Houou, my boyfriend's not very polite --"

"It's fine," Azula said, sighing. At least they didn't notice that she looked so much older anyway. "I merely forgot something. I'll be on my way then."

"Um, Miss Houou," the girl said, as Azula walked away. Azula froze, knowing all too well what was coming next, "The Principal's Office is the other way, down the hall."

"Yes, I know," she answered, "I decided not to go."

"Why were you going to the Principal's Office? Do something bad?" Toph teased once they were out of earshot.

"Don't be ridiculous," Azula scoffed, "I was merely requesting the first year room rosters to find Katara. But, thankfully, I remember which class she was in. Ah, here we are," she said, looking up at the room's number.

1-D.

"So, what do we do?"

"Wait."

"Super."

* * *

There was a crack in the ground.

It was long, and it didn't seem to be precisely part of the ground, Sokka thought, more like the crack on an old painting, where the paint began to chip, somewhat removed and yet wholly a part of the ground around them.

"Oh that's not good," he concluded. "Where are we, anyway?"

"I don't know," Zuko muttered, "It looks like Ba Sing Se."

"Sure does," Sokka said, frowning, "But where in Ba Sing Se are we?"

There was a storm brewing in the night sky, and there was a building in the distance that lit up the skyline brighter than daylight. The storm seemed to be focused around it, ominously, like a mad scientist's laboratory in the middle of an unnatural experiment.

"Oh no," they both came to a sudden and stark realization.

"That's the main city headquarters, where my Uncle's lab --" Zuko hesitated, "We have to get there, we have to stop it!"

"Zuko!" Sokka said, grabbing his friend by the arm, "We'll never make it in time. It's too late to stop it."

"What do we do, then? Watch?"

"No, we find her," Sokka said, "We find that fake Katara, get that key back, and track down the others. Once we get Katara to get rid of her other version, we get out of here and find a way out of this maze once and for all, got it?"

"But --"

"We don't have any other choice," Sokka said, "I know, I want to stop it too, but we can't, not now anyway."

As a flash of lightning lit up the sky, it became apparent how great the damage already was; Like massive spiderwebs, the night sky was full of cracks and shattered fragments began to fall from the sky, slowly.

"Oh man," Sokka said, "She did a number on this place."

"This isn't right," Zuko frowned.

"Well, we got to find her," Sokka said, "Preferably before the sky falls and kills us. I can't believe I actually said that."

* * *

"Waiting is boring, and so is pretending to be going to the bathroom to every Dai Li scumbag that eyes us."

"I know," Azula frowned, "But it's almost lunch."

"What's so important about lunch? We've been here like three hours!"

"Four," Azula answered. "Or at least, it seems like it."

"I'd rather sit in on one of Mad Scientist Bumi's lessons," Toph huffed. Whether or not it really had been four hours wasn't exactly clear to Azula. For all she knew, these projections of the past could just be elaborate illusions of her head, though that didn't explain Toph -- maybe the entire maze was just the last musings of a dying brain.

Azula grimaced. It didn't suit her to have such grim thoughts.

The bell sounded.

"Okay! It's lunch! Great! Now what?"

"Hear those footsteps?" Azula said. Toph nodded, slowly, "Those are mine. I'm coming to meet Katara, to offer her a chance to join the Bending Club. Interesting, yes?"

"Maybe," Toph said, hesitantly. "What's so important about this?"

"I don't know," Azula said, "But I have a theory that it may prove enlightening."

And Azula from a year ago was walking down that corridor a little ahead of the bell when the classes started to file out into the halls to meet with friends, homecooked lunch boxes at the ready.

Katara stepped out alone, and froze when she saw the younger Azula coming straight for her. She didn't know what to make of this, and hesitantly, she began to breathe ever so slowly. "Miss Floes, I presume," Azula watched herself say, and in her head, she was going through the memory of the conversation.

Katara stepped back slowly, "Miss Houou." Yes, she knew her well, she hated her already and didn't even have a reason. Azula's older face grinned wryly, she would soon have plenty of reasons.

"I'm glad you accepted out invitation to this school. I know the first day can be rough, so, how would you like to join me for lunch?"

"Thanks for the invitation," Katara said, her back totally rigid, "But I'd rather eat seal blubber."

"Yuck," Toph intoned from their vantage point. "You two sure did get along perfectly."

"Quiet," Azula hushed Toph with a low hiss, "I'm trying to listen."

Whatever Azula had then said was lost in the noise, but the next thing Katara said made it perfectly clear her feelings, "No, I don't like you one bit, Miss Houou. Your family ruined my life."

"That's a bit extreme," Azula's younger self said, "The official stories say it was an accident. Don't you believe them?"

"No, you're all liars as far as I'm concerned," Katara hissed. "I don't want to eat lunch with you, I don't ever want to see you again."

"You're being unreasonable," Azula said. "What if I told you that I'm offering you a chance to find out what really happened to your mother."

Those words broke the tension. The frustration and anger that Katara held was unleashed and she pushed Azula down to the ground. Watching herself being pushed to the ground, she knew what was going to happen now.

Crowds would form, slowly at first, but with word of mouth, more and more of the school would be eager to see the new girl trying to beat up the most popular girl in school. It was not a real fight. Katara fought like a boy, probably learned from her brother, Azula realized in retrospect, and she did hit hard.

The vague memory of the stinging in her gut from that first punch still lingered in the back of her mind. Azula, however, couldn't fight back, not at her best, at any rate, without blowing the whole thing wide open.

So she had to settle for fighting back with a few good slaps and scratches of her own. Pride wouldn't let her be beaten there.

The crowds were getting larger now, it was getting harder to see.

"I wish I could have seen this! Er, you know what I mean." Toph slammed her fist into her palm, "So, did you beat her up or did she take you by surprise?"

"We didn't finish."

"What is the meaning of this?" Long Feng bellowed as he broke through the spectators. He pulled the younger Azula off of Katara and looked both squarely in the eye. "Who started this?"

"I did," the younger Azula answered, looking at Katara, pointedly. The shock on Katara's face would have been evident to anyone who looked at it. "I made some remarks I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Katara."

"Twice in one day, Miss Azula," Long Feng said, disapprovingly, "I don't think you can get out of this one so easily."

That was different.

Twice in one day? Obviously, he remembered the meeting with her before, but he didn't meet her that day prior, that was the problem. Around the floor, cracks started to jut out with growing speed, multiplying and growing.

But as entire fragments of the world began to float into space, unnoticed by those around them, another series of cracks started to rush towards them.

"This is not good," Azula reasoned, even as her younger self was lead way. "We need to get out of here, now."

From between the cracks, sand began to blow in.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked.

"I know this street," Sokka said, rounding across a short alley, "I came this way from school when I was like eight."

"Oh." Zuko frowned deeper, "So we're going to your home?"

"That's the idea." Sokka broke into a sprint, "We're nearly there, come on!"

They ran up the hill to a large complex building. There it was, Sokka's eyes said, home sweet home. Zuko looked at it more objectively. It was a good sized complex, and the apartments were probably pretty expensive. However, it was a little out of the way, and more importantly, it looked a little empty.

"So this is it?"

"That's right!"

"Where is she?"

"Who knows. Inside?"

"How do we get inside? Breaking a window?"

"We could knock?"

"And then?"

"I'll think of something, okay?"

Zuko grimaced, but followed. There were very few lights on, and in the distance, the building's bright lights seemed to drain the rest of city of energy. Was it just a building asleep, or was something else going on, he wondered.

He felt more apprehensive.

Something was moving, watching them, he was sure of that now. "Sokka," he said, "You go ahead. I'll watch your back."

Sokka approached the building and Zuko's gaze fell all around them, at the darkness that surrounded them. Was this an ambush? He couldn't shake it, but he didn't know who would pop out.

Who or, as the case may be when dealing with the Spirit World, what.

Jittering shadows, caught only in the brief glimpse of light during the storm, with their large, buglike eye that stared from between the cracks -- they saw him and they knew he saw them. "Sokka! Watch out. It's a trap."

Sokka turned and drew his blade just in time, as a large swarm darted out of the cracks around them, surrounding them quickly. "This is bad," Sokka concluded. "This is real bad."

_To be continued._

_Author's Note: And we end our return on a cliffhanger. Well, what else could I do? This story's not gotten enough of a focus lately, and I feel bad about that. But, I'm going to focus on it for the next couple of weeks and hopefully build up a nice lead._


	9. A Perfect Disguise

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"They all feel thirst looking over dried river, so now that's all we think for intimacy. _

_Want to be close... to be close..."_

_- Want to be Close - Reincarnation-_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 8: **_A Perfect Disguise_

Swarming, passingly bug-like, but altogether formless spirits, like shadows from a nightmare, burst into the city of Ba Sing Se. A great flash illuminated the city, casting them in brilliant light, highlighting every crease in their exoskeletal bodies, every moving joint, and the rapid frenzy of movement from the countless monsters.

And then they were gone into shadow, their multi-faceted eyes the only light that remained in the city, now cast in pitch. Zuko and Sokka both knew what had happened, they did not need to look at the wreckage that altered the skyline, and the tragedy that occured.

However, they couldn't focus on that. They heard the creatures screech and the sound of a thousand legs moving in tandem towards them drowned out the distant sound of sirens. Zuko gripped his Dao blades tightly. "Would be nice for some light," he growled, thrusting his blade out. He could feel it lance through the eye, and the creature's body blew outwards, covering him in dust and sand.

"What was that?" Sokka asked, slicing through a few with his own blade. The burst of sand as the creatures buckled under the released pressure pelted his mouth. "Yaa," he said, tongue hanging out, "Disgusting."

The screech from the creatures amplified as they noticed their numbers dwindle. Climbing up the walls, the red of their eyes casting the two boys in a dim light, they looked from side to side. "What are dey up do now," Sokka said, tongue still flapping out. "Dey're drying do surround us, aren'd dey?"

"Ugh, why are you talking like that?" Zuko grumbled, looking through the mass gibbering mess of spirits.

"Da sand is all griddy," Sokka whined, "And dey're jusd going do explode again." He spit out some grains of sand, and muttered, "Stupid sand, getting everywhere."

He stepped over a crack and was pelted by dry, hot wind and jumped back, "What the --" The crack began to splinter off, growing bigger, and light was cast out of it. The fragments of Ba Sing Se around them were beginning to splinter off.

The effect was surreal to see, light in large columns shot forth around them, and blasts of sudden heat in the cold night air, interacting, and a slight layer of sand began to form on the ground around the cracks.

"Am I imagining things, or are those cracks getting bigger?" Sokka asked.

"Focus, Sokka," Zuko snarled. He charged at the skittering shadows, and through their red eyes his swords slid, pelting him with sand. Undeterred he continued to tear through them. Sokka stared at him as he ran off, and stuttered out helplessly.

"Wait up!" he finally screeched and was pelted by one of the small creatures, who leapt through the air with some speed. It was like being hit with a small bag of sand. It didn't hurt so much as stun and disorient. "What's the big idea!" he cried as he brought his sword up.

But before he could finish his swing another pelted him.

And then another.

Then ten more.

Knocked for a loop and absolutely senseless, Sokka only managed to slur, "So you think you can take me. Well, have I got news for you. Sure you may be able to triplicate or summin, but I got a sword and -- and and and -- and I know how to use it!"

"Sokka!" Zuko shouted out, "Get a grip!"

It was the briefest second, and then Zuko himself was under attack. "Zuko, man, I don't think sword slicing is going to cut it this time, and that's all I'm good for!"

"Shut up, Sokka, think," Zuko grunted as one pelted him in the stomach, "You came up with some of the craziest ideas we had."

"So?" Sokka asked, "May I remind you that we're in the middle of Ba Sing Se ten years ago, except everything's more cracked than Katara's best shot at pottery in Art class being pelted by living sandbags. I submit to you we cannot get any crazier."

"Sure we can," Zuko said, pushing one back and slicing through another before being pelted from behind, "Just think of something!"

"It's a bit easier when you're not being attacked like a hobajillion thingies," Sokka protested. "Okay, think, think, Sokka. Come on!" He got whallopped on the head by one of them and rolled to the ground.

His hand gripped the edge of a crack, and he narrowed his eyes, "I think I got an idea. Get over here, Zuko!"

* * *

The sand was starting to fill the school, coming from every crack with increasing pressure as the cracks grew wider. Azula could do little more than stare at it, processing everything in her head as best she could. "What's going on, Azula?" Toph wondered.

Azula'd grown too quiet for her like, it seemed, and she tugged at her arm. "What," Azula snapped, and Toph frowned.

"That's what I want to know," Toph said, "What's gotten into you. Is that sand?"

"Yes," Azula said, "A lot of it."

"Define a lot," Toph said, slowly.

"Room 1-F is actually spilling out into the hallways."

"That's a lot."

"Yes," Azula said, backing away, "We need to find a way out of here before we're buried alive."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Toph answered, not batting an eye, "Which way?"

"Let's go to the main hall, and try and get a better idea of where we're going," Azula said. "Besides, the ceiling's higher there, we're less likely to get totally buried." She grabbed Toph by the wrist forcefully, "Let's go."

"Hey! Let go!" Toph shouted, but Azula didn't let go, dragging her through the hallway as the sands began to surge in, breaking through the windows and burying students who just continued to walk through the sand, leaving a trail in their path that soon became filled, grains of sand on the top of their heads, sliding off and down their noses.

Behind them, waves of sand tumbled down in slopes, blocking the hall off with ceiling-high mounds of sand. Out of the classrooms, the doors were pushed down and sand gushed in like water breaking out of a tank.

"Come on, Azula, this hurts."

"We don't have time for you to fumble blindly around," Azula hissed.

"Hey, I didn't ask to be blind, sister," Toph said, suddenly having a burst of defiance and prying her arm free. "I used to get by just fine because of my bending, but I'm doing okay without it, too."

"Do we have to have this conversation now?" Azula sighed. "Just come on, and stay close. If you get buried in this sand, I'm not going to waste time searching for you,"

"I'm not helpless!" Toph shouted, keeping up in her sprint, "I kick butt, more than you ever did."

"I'm sorry,' Azula said, coolly, "I didn't know that crisis situations were your ideal venting times. I'll have to remember that for future reference and make sure you're with someone who cares."

"You'd be totally helpless without bending, you know that, right? You were scared of losing your bending,, that's what I think."

"Oh, now you're psycho-analyzing me. Splendid! Next, you'll be telling me that I've got mommy issues to work through," Azula hissed. "Look, sometimes a wall of sand threatening to crush us just happens to be what it looks like. In this case, I suggest we run instead of yelling at each other, yes?"

Toph grumbled something, and grudgingly followed Azula as the sands rose up around them.

* * *

While all this happened, Yue was left fumbling around the desert, following what her senses told her were passages carefully, and glancing around and beginning to fret. It was a long time since she sensed anyone, and right now, she did not want to be left forgotten and alone in that massive desert.

Perception of time was troublesome when there's no sign of progression and the only thing you have to rely on is your own senses. With the swelter, it seemed like minutes were hours, and she felt like she'd been left for days in this maze.

And at the back of her mind, something urged her to forget what she was worrying about and just relax and rest, get her senses back together, and continue on in the morning. Normally, she would have listened to a sense like that. It was certainly sensible, at least, if nothing more, but on the other hand, and she couldn't quite place her finger on why, it seemed like a bad idea.

So, even as her eyes clenched shut with every furious blink, she continued to pry them open and continue. The feeling began to pass, and she felt like she'd gotten her second wind, and in the distance, she could see a canyon rising off of the horizon.

She felt immediate relief. Something new to look at, at the very least, would break the monotony. If she was feeling optimistic, which at this point she was beginning to, she would even believe that it meant progress had been made and maybe, sooner than later, she'd find one of the others in this mess.

The canyon also provided shade, giving her a thankful break from being slowly roasted by the sun above. "This is nice," she sighed, happily as she walked beneath the shadow.

"Yue?"

Yue glanced in the direction of the voice. A little to the left and upwards. Yes, there was someone dangling from the cliff shouting downwards. That was peculiar. It sounded almost like it was Katara.

"Yue, up here!" Katara shouted again, kicking her feet frantically, "I need your help."

"Oh, oh, Katara!" Yue snapped back to her senses, "It's really you!"

"Nice to see you too," Katara managed to strain out through a weak laugh, "Think you can help me out here?"

"Oh? Oh! Of course, give me a minute," she said. She fumbled around in the canyon, looking for a path or passage up. "Is there some way to get up there?"

"I don't know, fly?" Katara shouted. "Yue, I hate to rush you, but I don't think I can hang on much longer."

"Just hold on for a little bit longer, I need to look," Yue said. She closed her eyes, and tried to find another way, another passage, or perhaps -- yes, she could try that.

"Yue? Where are you going? Yue!"

"I'll be right there, Katara!"

"Yue!" Katara cried as Yue seemed to disappear into the desert. "Don't leave me here!" she continued to shout and then she started to feel her grip loosen. "Yue?" she squeaked, fearfully, "Please?"

"Here."

Katara looked up and Yue smiled brightly at her behind her outstretched hand. Katara managed to grab it as her other hand slipped from her flimsy hold. "Yue, am I glad to see you!"

"I imagine!" Yue smiled brighter, "That was exciting. I didn't think I'd make it in time, but it seems like there's definitely a method to this desert's madness."

"Tell me about it," Katara said. "Yue, you won't believe what happened to me."

"Perhaps we could talk about it in the canyon. The shade there was very pleasant after this, this somewhat inconvenient heat!"

"Yue, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were angry with this place," Katara smiled, weakly.

"I suppose I am!"

The two girls navigated the desert slowly to the canyon floor, and Yue took a bottle of water from her pack and offered it to Katara. She took it, drinking down the water quickly before realizing what she'd done.

"What happened?" Yue asked, as she sat down against the back of the cliff. "I don't suppose you got lost and fell off by mistake."

"No," Katara frowned, "I was pushed."

"By whom?" Yue asked, shocked. She couldn't imagine anyone doing that to Katara, not even Azula. Katara grumbled something quietly and looked aside. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"It was me," she said, "Sort of."

"Sort of," Yue murmured, repeating Katara. "You don't mean -- an imposter!"

"Yes, that's exactly it!" Katara said, looking relieved for whatever reason, "A lookalike, but she dressed all trashy and talked like an airhead."

"What did she say?"

"I don't remember," Katara said quickly, "Nonsense, mostly."

"Katara," Yue said, sagely, with as much patience as she could muster in the heat, "You remember what happened to me in the garden, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but, I know me, I know I'm not hiding something from anyone," Katara said, "Even if Azula said differently."

"Everyone has something," Yue said, "It may not be easy, but you must accept that there is another side of you."

Katara stared at Yue, and shook her head, "That whatever she is can't be me. I know it," she remained adamant. "Could you imagine me saying things like, 'Like, totally, gag me with a spoon?'"

"I guess not," Yue acquiesced. She still felt unsure about this. "Why did she push you?"

"I don't know," Katara said. "I was looking for that key and then she showed up."

"Key?"

"The one Azula gave me," Katara said. "That thing knocked it out of my hand and then it fell in here, somewhere."

"Did you find it?"

Katara nodded, slowly. Yue frowned.

"And?"

"And," Katara slowly drawled.

"What happened?" Yue snapped out, a little more roughly than she intended.

"I kind of, sort of, well," she fidgeted, "That's kind of what she pushed me to get."

"You mean that your other self has it?"

"Imposter," Katara corrected, "And yes, she does."

"Oh dear," Yue breathed, "This is not helpful at all."

* * *

"This is not a good plan," Zuko grunted, angrily, back to the chasm formed from the shattered world. Sokka just shot him a warning glance. Their legs tightened in anticipation as the creatures amassed themselves around them. "Don't you have any brighter ideas?"

"This will work, okay?"

"It won't."

"Oh, just trust me, okay? I got this."

"I hope you do."

"They're coming, on my mark." He sheathed his blade and looked to Zuko to do the same. "And, we go," he trailed off and waited for the lead of the mass of spirits to move.

"They're coming," Zuko said, his teeth clenched shut. "Sokka --"

The creatures were mid-flight, launching off their skittering feet and through the air, forming a wave of shadows in the air, their multifaceted red eyes glimmering from within.

And Sokka waited on his mark, waited until he was sure, and then he shouted, "Now!"

The two of them stepped back, and off of the crack in space and time. The spirits fell after them, descending into the bright light beneath them blankly, scattering as they fell, drifting slowly into the emptiness surrounding them.

"Sokka," Zuko strained out, his hands gripping the edge of the crack tightly, "That was a dumb idea."

"It worked, okay?"

Zuko grunted as he pulled himself over the edge, and looked down as Sokka struggled to do the same. "You let yourself go," he commented.

"You seem like you're still in good shape. Do you still beat up punks in the backstreets in your spare time or something?" Sokka muttered as Zuko helped him up. Zuko's lack of denial struck him a second later, "You totally are, aren't you."

"So what?"

"Why?"

"What does it matter. We've got to find that imposter," Zuko grumbled. "Let's go, before this whole place becomes like this."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed, "We should probably hurry up there."

A piece of the sky fell perilously close to the ground, casting a light across them. "But if she's not here, where is she?"

"Wait, wait," Sokka said, "I got it. Come on."

He took off in a sprint, leaping across a long stretch of shattered ground and over across the street, "There's a park near here,' he explained, "She's got to be there!"

"What are you talking about?"

"That imposter Katara said to find her, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well," Sokka said, "She didn't say we had to find her _her_, exactly, did she?" Zuko didn't respond, and Sokka didn't wait to see if he understood what he meant or not, he just practically slid down the rail of a staircase and leapt over another long crack. "Katara's there, right now."

"How do you know?"

"I remember," Sokka answered, "I couldn't forget that night if I tried, man."

And across the street was a small park. There were cartoonish badger-moles there, connected by springs to the cement of the playground, and Sokka grinned at Zuko's apprehension towards it. He teased, "It won't hurt you." And Zuko just glared at him.

"You don't know that."

"Okay, fair enough," Sokka said. "We came here with mom a lot. I don't even know if it's still there. All I know is that Katara came here that night. She knew something was wrong before we even got the call."

And there, swinging absently on a swing, was a seven year old Katara, looking lost to the world.

Zuko hesitated. "If I hadn't been so stupid --"

"Hey, we went over this, okay?" Sokka said, "Not your fault, we're not blaming you for it even if it was. There's no way we can change what happened, right?" Sokka paused, and then added, with a lot less certainty. "Can't we? Hey, Zuko, couldn't we -- where are you going?"

Zuko walked over to the swing set and sat himself down on the swing next to Katara. He looked over at her, wondering if she noticed him. Though the cracks were severe all around the park, the center was clean, unbroken.

She looked at him.

"It's dangerous to be out alone."

"I'm not alone," she said, "My brother's over there. He'll beat you up if you try anything." Zuko looked over towards Sokka, and then his eyes caught, hiding behind the slide, a younger Sokka. Zuko shook his head and smiled.

"Still, tonight's not a good night. Monsters are about."

"Uh-huh," the girl said, disbelief evident. "What happened to your face?"

Zuko winced, "Monster got me."

"Dad said monsters aren't real," Katara pointed out.

"Why are you out at the park so late, anyway?"

Sokka couldn't help but feel this was a horrible idea, watching Zuko talk with the young version of his sister. But he should have remembered this if it was, wouldn't he? The thought plagued him, and he wondered if perhaps his memories were being rearranged as he watched.

"Mom's not home yet."

"Yeah?"

"She's never this late, and I thought --"

"You should go home. Your dad will worry."

"Yeah, I guess," she said.

"You shouldn't look so sad," Zuko added. "Cheer up."

"I'm not sad."

"It's okay to be sad," Zuko added.

"I know. But I'm not." She looked at him intensely, daring him to contradict her, and Zuko couldn't bear to.

"I see. If you're sad, though, it's okay, but remember things will get better, right?"

"What?" she looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

The ground beneath her feet began to crack. Zuko didn't notice it, but Sokka could see it clear as day.

"Nothing," Zuko admitted. "You should get home. Your brother's starting to shiver."

"Yeah, I guess," she said, hopping off the swing. "You're pretty okay, for a guy with a weird face."

"You're pretty okay for a girl who looks sad when she isn't," he retorted. She smiled at him, brightly. "That's better."

"Bye, mister. You be careful, don't want another monster to get you, right?"

Zuko hesitated, then smiled, "Yeah. Right." When she'd finally crossed the road, he looked down at the ground. The cracks had become more severe, and he leapt to his feet, moving back over to Sokka. "Guess I shouldn't have done that."

"Yeah, it was heartwarming and all, but boy oh boy was that stupid! You should get a prize for the biggest stupid idea ever."

"You'd know."

The ground shifted, and the cracks opened up. From within, sand gushed forth, pushing the cracks aside and forming a slight slope downwards. It seemed to spiral towards a point below, where a door hung in wait.

"I guess we found her," Zuko said.

"Zuko, you're a genius, buddy, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He ignored Zuko's glower as he patted him heavily across the back and took a tentative step onto the sand. "If my guess is right, this is what happened with Katara."

"Just more immediate?"

"Right. And this place was already messed around with."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I don't know what's going on, but I think this is our ticket out of here. Come on!"

They followed the path as it wound around, following the spiraling strip towards the door that floated at the bottom. Shattered fragments of Ba Sing Se hung in the air around them, whether they were rising or sinking, neither of them was certain.

"Dizzy," Sokka groaned.

"We're almost there."

"Great, I'm about to fall down, and I don't know which way I'd go."

"Just keep it together," Zuko grumbled.

* * *

The school was being overrun with sand.

The lockers were bursting open with more sand than they could ever hope to hold, it was coming up from the piping and through the air vents. And Azula, in the main foyer, was getting a little more anxious about her options. The main door was blocked off by sand, and the stairs were a veritable falls of sand. Dunes were forming from where the windows used to be, and she couldn't exactly figure out how to get out.

"We're in trouble, ain't we?" Toph asked.

"You're amazingly observant for someone who can't see."

"I can sense things okay," she said, "'sides you're shaking so much even a blind girl could see it."

"Convenient," Azula scowled. "Our exits are blocked off, there aren't any other apparent exits, and somehow, the student body is proceeding through this sand like it wasn't even there."

"Okay, great, what do we do?"

"I really have no idea," Azula said even as she started to devise new plans. "I think, at least, that we've got enough time in here to plan."

"What makes you say that?"

"The sand seems to be slowing down."

"That's great! Now we can suffocate at a slower pace! You sure know how to look at the bright side of like, Spicegirl."

"On the other hand, perhaps we can plow our way through here. I haven't quite mastered waterbending, but no time like the present to begin practicing Earthbending."

"Haven't quite mastered waterbending is a code word for 'gets soaked everytime she tries to bend water?' I never knew that!"

"Your sarcasm isn't helping, Toph."

"Well, you're asking me to teach you how to bend sand, right? Out of the question. Don't even know how to do that myself."

"Why not?"

"Never tried. Bet I could do it, but I'm kind of bending-less right now."

"Fantastic," Azula groaned.

"Just the facts."

"I know," Azula said. "We climb the stairs. Try to, anyway. Grab the rail tight and don't stop, whatever you do."

"Okay, okay."

Gripping the rail was the easy part. Moving her feet, Azula found it was much harder than she anticipated to get a foot hold. The sand moved swiftly enough to pull her off her feet. She relied almost entirely on pulling herself by her arms, and even then, she only made it up a few steps before she was bowled down by the force.

"Not working," Toph managed frrom beneath a small sand dune.

"I saw that," Azula murmured. "What am I missing? There must be a way out."

"Let's just be glad there isn't some huge sand worm in this junk," Toph grumbled. "It's in my shoes, I can feel it between my toes. Ugh, so distracting!"

"I don't want to hear about your toes and don't tempt fate. Didn't our previous experiences teach you anything?"

"Sure, it can always get worse."

Azula was about to respond when there was a large sound against the far wall of the foyer. Then another. "Toph, I would be indebted to you if you'd stop tempting fate."

"Are you kidding? Giant sand worm would be awesome!"

"I can't even figure you out," Azula muttered.

The sounds got louder, and then the walls broke open. Sand poured in, and Azula stared, dumbfounded at what she saw out there. "What happened?" Toph wondered, "Is it a worm?"

"No," Azula said. "I think we're back inside the desert, somehow."

Outside, there was a distant canyon, and the sun bore down on them. Walking up the dunes, she turned back and saw the school was buried under the sand, completely consumed by the desert and sinking further. "Toph, hurry up," she said.

"Coming, coming, keep your skirt on."

"I could have sworn we were in the past," Azula said.

"Maybe there was a door and we just didn't see it?"

Azula hesitated, but agreed. That was the only explanation. There was a rough path of stone through the ridge that led down to the desert below, and the girls followed it closely, until they came down across the valley of the canyon.

Winds raised up a small sandstorm around them, and they hurried into the shelter of the valley. "This is ridiculous," Azula bemoaned, "There's no end in sight!"

"Just relax, Power Princess, we've got this."

"So you think," Azula said, angrily. She was at her patience's end. "When I find Katara --"

"When you find Katara...what, exactly, Azula?"

Toph's face split into a huge grin, "Ooh, busted!"

"So, is it really you, or are you the fake Katara?" Azula asked, her voice level, she did not even seem remotely alarmed that Katara was suddenly here. "Not that it matters, of course."

"I'm the real one," Katara said, stepping forward with Yue, "So, what were you going to do, again?"

Azula pondered this for a second. She didn't quite get that far when she was making her exclamation. Now, prompted for a snappy answer, she was finding herself having trouble picking just one response.

She just decided to scream, "Why would you do this?"

"Do what?" Katara seemed taken aback.

"Make this place. What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything, it's the maze that made this place, not me."

"I don't think that's right," Yue said, weakly, "That garden wasn't exactly something I may have thought up consciously, but it did seem to be, well, a part of me."

"Yue, you're not helping, here," Katara said, between clenched teeth.

"See?" Azula leapt on the advantage, "This is all your fault. Do you know what I've had to go through today?"

"Um, it's not really Katara's fault, either, Azula --"

"You're not helping, Yue," Azula snapped.

"Oh, let them have one of their chats," Toph said, patting Yue on the back, "I appreciate you, anyway."

"You do?"

"Um, well, in a totally supportive and helpful way, yeah."

"This isn't my fault!" Katara said, taking the advantage, "Yue said so!"

"So what? Your head made this, so I get the right to yell at you. Now, what exactly are you hiding? Where is your other self, anyway?"

"She's, she's," Katara hesitated, "That imposter was near the old ruins when I met her. I think that may be the best place to start looking, anyway?"

"Ruins?"

"Oh, yeah," Katara said, "There's a lot of them under the sand. Why, didn't you see any?"

"No, I had to look at empty, flat desert for like ten hours. Then, I was nearly buried alive with Toph in the Phoenix Center School."

"Sorry," Katara managed to squeak, "It's not my fault, though! Really!"

"Come on, Power Princess, lay off of Sugar Queen. We got other things we need to do, like find the boys before they macho themselves to death."

"You're right," Azula said, "We need to find them. Yue?"

"I don't know where they are. They completely vanished like you and Toph did until a little while ago -- wait! I see them!"

"What? Where?"

"That way," Yue said, pointing forward. "That's where they are."

"The ruins are there," Katara said, "That means --"

"Yes, I think I sense her ahead as well," Yue said, "We need to be careful. Who knows what she will do to the boys."

* * *

"Are we alive?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Sokka stared up at the cloudless desert sky from underneath his hand, his head resting in the sand around him. "Get up," Zuko told him, and he looked over at Zuko, noticing the high rise of an old ruined building nearby.

"What?" Sokka said, pushing himself off of the sand. "What is it?"

"It's her, again."

Sokka collected himself, jumped to his feet and turned in the direction Zuko was facing. And there she was, the other Katara, looking ignorant of their presence. She was walking down towards the ruined arches of the building.

"Do we follow her?" Sokka wondered. Zuko only nodded and crept forward, keeping low and out of sight.

As they approached the building, they felt the wind grow cooler, and the dry heat became a lot more comfortable, even a little muggy. The slope led down towards exposed pillars that surrounded a small oasis in the midst of the desert.

And along the shore of that lake, the imposter Katara sat, in a swimsuit, basking in the sun.

"I don't believe this," Sokka moaned, "She's mocking us, isn't she?"

Zuko nodded.

"We can't just take her on, who knows what tricks she's got up her sleeves. She'll transform like that other Yue and totally flatten us."

"Don't know," Zuko grunted. "Wait for the others?"

At the same time, behind them, the girls were approaching the ruins at a swift jog, with Katara at the lead. Yue struggled to keep up with the rest of them, feeling her cheeks turn red from all of the running. "Please, go ahead without me," she said, stopping to catch her breath.

"Come on, Yue, we need you!" Katara urged. "We're almost there. Just a little bit further."

"I don't think I'm suited for this," she managed to smile between each huffing breath.

"You can do it, Yue," Toph said, "Right, Azula?"

"What?"

"Yue can totally do this, right?"

"Of course, why wouldn't she be able to?" Azula asked. She crossed her arms. "Get it together, Yue. We don't have time."

"Yes, yes," Yue managed to say, "Let's go. They're just ahead."

"Right!" Katara said. She burst into a sprint, struggling through the sandy grounds about her, and down the slope into the ruins. With a loud cry, she collided with Sokka, and the two stumbled out into the open.

The imposter Katara lifted her sunglasses and looked over at them. "Oh. You're finally here. I was, like, hoping you'd show up."

"There goes subtlety," Zuko muttered.

"Hey, don't be shy, hiding back there. Everyone's welcome to my little slice of heaven," the imposter Katara said, her attitude shifting suddenly. "I won't bite, if you don't want me to."

"Excuse me?" Katara said, her temper flaring, "Where do you get off acting like that when you look like me!"

"Oh, honey, you need to relax and let your hair down," the imposter Katara said, "Or else you're going to get buried in the sand."

"Katara." Azula watched her carefully, "Remember what happened, with Yue."

"I remember, okay? I remember."

"You aren't acting like it," she retorted.

"Everything is under control, Azula."

"Oh, tell her how you really feel, Katara," her imposter said, "How you just wish you were half as perfect as she is. I mean, I wish my hair was that straight, and the designer clothes I only wished I could afford." She sighed, "Still, that's why it felt so good to know everyone liked me more."

Azula paused, stuttering, "What?"

"Like, come on, Azula, isn't it obvious?" she said, curling her hair around her finger, "I totally wish I was more like you sometimes. Sure no one really liked you, but they sure acted like it 'cause you were rich and junk."

"What do I care what others think about me, Katara."

"You're not helping, Azula!"

"Would you two quit it, already?" Toph snapped. "Katara, get your head together! Don't listen to her!"

"You know, if I ever had doubts about my looks, I just had to look at you and think, at least I was more feminine than that slab of stone."

"Ow," Sokka winced.

"Hey! Like I care!" Toph shouted, "Shut up, you're just a no good faker, anyway! Katara's way nicer than that."

Katara winced. "Ye, yeah, see?"

"Oh the lies we tell ourselves," the imposter said, putting her sunglasses down by her towel. "Like how you were glad Yue was only around when we went into the Spirit World. How do I compare to that? She's like perfect! Compared to her, I'm like Toph!"

"Hey! Stop it, already!" Toph snapped.

"Let's put it like this, I was relieved when Yue said she resented us, because then, at least, the feeling was mutual."

"Katara, don't listen to her," Zuko snapped. "She's trying to turn us against each other."

"You're the expert, right, Zuzu?" the imposter Katara asked. "Like, was that a low blow?"

"Stop it," Katara murmured. She clutched her head, trying to grab some focus, to clear her head of all the noises and doubts.

"Sokka, you believe me, don't you?" the imposter Katara asked. "I mean, after all, you know all about me, right? I mean, sure, I can't stand how you try and be the big brave older brother, when you're really just kind of a loser, but you know me, right?"

"Stop it!" Katara shouted. "Stop telling them all of those lies!"

"Lies?" the imposter asked. "They sound like lies to you?"

Katara hesitated, "I would never say that to them."

"Wouldn't you?" the imposter retorted, smiling wide, her lids lulled in an arrogant self-assurance. "I guess you wouldn't. You'd rather keep all of those feelings locked up inside, since you'd just hurt people with them. So what, Katara? What are we afraid of?"

"Stop that!"

"Stop what? Speaking what you're feeling deep inside our fragile little heart?" she said, clasping her hand above her breast, "This is how we feel, Katara, stop denying it!"

"That's not true! Stop acting like you're me!"

"But I am," she said.

"You are not me!"

The imposter laughed, a low, sultry sound. "Oh, yes, that felt good! Hit me with it, one," she drawled, stepping forward, her entire body radiating blackness, "More," her steps created drew the moisture from the air, and the light from the sky, "Time."

"You're," Katara breathed, "You're not me."

Katara fell to her knees, clutching her head as the noise inside it grew unbearable. As she grew weaker, the other Katara seemed to relish, breaking into a mad fit of laughter, "No, I'm me, now. And I don't need you holding me back!"

The others could do little more than watch as the world around them was once again turned upside-down. The darkness of the imposter Katara's body overtook her, and her form began to change.

_To be continued._

_Author's Note: There's a new poll on my profile, if you'd like to put your answer in it. It's mostly for my own edification._


	10. Psyche

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_  
Author's Note: July 6th release date just announced for Persona 3 Portable! Hopefully by then I'll be on the sequel to this -- wait, did I just admit something there?_

_"... where there's no rules. Take off the gloves, Ref, please step down. Gotta prove my skills so get down, my lyrical dempsey roll about to smack down now."_

_- P3FES_

_Lotus Juice feat. Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 9: **_Psyche_

Katara fell unconscious to the ground as the sand around her began to churn, darkness from deep down below surging to the surface around the imposter. Her form was no longer so much like Katara.

The light from her eyes pierced them as the inky blackness enveloped her, and her body grew larger and larger. Azula fought to keep her footing as the sand they heaved angrily about. She could see a face emerging from the shadows, a face not unlike Katara's. However, blue and white scales, smooth and glimmering, seemed to be taking up much of her upper body.

The lower body looked like it belonged to a fish.

"What happened?" Toph asked. "She ticked it off, didn't she?"

"I am the True Self!" she said, smiling in absolute contented knowledge, "Why should I hide how I feel? Shouldn't we be true to how we feel inside?" She flicked her fishy tail out, kicking up sand. She dove down into the sand and emerged swimming as though she were in water. "You all just want to tell me how I should feel!"

"Katara!" Sokka was over by Katara's prone form in a flash, "What did you do to her, you monster?"

"She denied herself," Yue said, "Just like what I did. We have no choice, we have to stop it before it goes completely out of control!"

"Just like old times," Sokka muttered, "You know, we could have had like a month to get ready, that would have been great!"

"Stop complaining, Sokka," Azula said, eying the mermaid Katara steadily, "You heard Yue, let's put her under wraps."

"You're enjoying this way too much," Toph said. "So, let's do this, Sweetness." She put her fists up, to which the mermaid Katara laughed incredulously.

"Oh, you're too cute, Toph," she said, between a fit of giggling.

"Oh yeah? I'll beat you up for calling me a slab of stone!" She tore across the ground with her fists held up high and punched with all her might, only hitting nothing. "Where'd she go?"

The mermaid was doing a backstroke away from Toph, leisurely blowing out sand through her mouth. "You really don't have a chance, so I'd just give up now and just lay down and die. It'll save us all so much time."

"No way!" Toph shouted. "Come on, guys, let's get her!"

"Don't worry, Sokka," Yue said, kneeling besides Katara, "I'll take care of her. Just help everyone fight this imposter."

Sokka looked down at Katara's unconscious form, and then back at Yue, "Okay, be careful, Yue."

"Of course," she smiled, a little sadly.

Sokka drew his sword and stood besides Azula. She looked to him, and nodded. He frowned, and asked, "What's the battle plan?"

"I'm still working on it," she said, carefully, "I don't know exactly what she can do yet."

"Well, she has a fish for a leg, and enjoys long swims on the beach," Sokka said, "What more do you need to know?"

The mermaid Katara jumped up into the air and dove down into the sand, throwing a large ripple through the desert. The shockwave knocked the Bending Club to their knees and Azula looked pointedly at Sokka, "Okay, case in point. But still, can't you come up with anything?"

Azula looked across the desert and up at the sunless sky. "Where is she?"

"I can't see her," Yue said. "But she's still close. I can feel it in my bones."

"Encouraging," Azula said. "We'll spread out, maybe she's hiding."

"Somewhere," Toph muttered, "Like I could see anyway." She kicked the sand around, "I hate sand. It's so -- grainy."

"Tell me about it," Sokka muttered, "Just once, couldn't these things come with an excuse to take a cruise liner or something fancy? It'd be so much better than crashing our school dance or something."

"We can complain about this later," Zuko said. "Stay focused."

"Thank you Zuzu," Azula said, "That was appreciated." When he didn't respond, Azula turned to look for him. "Zuzu?" Still no response, "Now where did he go?"

A second later the desert burst open as the mermaid Katara emerged from it, dragging Zuko along by the leg with one of her long, spindly arms. His arms were flailing about and his swords were left forgotten on the sands.

"Zuko!" Yue cried, "She must have pulled him under when we weren't looking!"

"Sokka, knock him loose," Azula barked. Sokka reached for his boomerang and drew his arm back, waiting for an opportunity. Zuko grunted and moaned as he was buffetted across the sandy earth. "Hurry."

"I'm hurrying," Sokka muttered, "Hold on just a little bit longer, Zuko, old buddy." Sokka stucfk his tongue out as he concentrated on his shot. He drew his arm forward and the boomerang flew from his hand, arcing around and striking the mermaid Katara on the shoulder.

She squealed in pain and dropped Zuko, and she herself rolled across the sand. "Yue, check on Zuko, everyone else, keep on guard." She watched the massive Katara look-alike draw herself up off the ground before leaping forward, letting a gust of wind blow the sand up around the imposter.

"Nice shot, Snoozles."

"I was aiming for her wrist," he muttered.

Waving the sand away from her face, the imposter coughed out, between angry snarlings, "Sokka! Daddy always told you to play nice with your sister!"

"Hey, you're the one who hurt my sister, I should be angry with you."

She snarled as the sand began to rise up with her arms, splitting into four massive sandy tendrils. Azula frowned, "She's waterbending."

"But that's not water," Sokka said.

"It may as well be," Azula said. "Move!"

The tendrils raised up into the air and slammed down at the point where they stood. As they ducked away, the sand that formed the tendril spilled loose, washing over them with as much force as many pounds of sand can muster.

Another dropped where they landed, knocking them around more. "Can't see straight," Sokka murmured, "Yue, are you okay?"

Yue screamed as a tendril washed over towards her and she put herself over Zuko and Katara's prone forms. A glimmer of moonlight formed around them and the sand fell to pieces overhead, showering them with loose grains.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Toph shouted.

"Are you jealous that I'm not poring over you with my undivided attention, Toph?" the mermaid laughed, "I never knew! How about we play now?"

"Huh? What are you --"

The sand underneath Toph's feet began to move, churning into a small bog of quicksand. Toph shrieked in fright as her feet sunk into it. "Toph!" Sokka ran over to grab Toph's hand, but she was sinking faster and faster.

"No, no, this won't do. Don't interrupt us!" Katara's other self yelled. She slammed one of her slender arms into the sand and a large, sandy hand grabbed Sokka's leg, pulling him back. "You never let me have any fun!"

A gunshot rang out, and Katara's other self looked over towards Azula. "Didn't work, I take it."

"Why do you even bring that thing?" Sokka asked, tiredly. "It never helps, ever, and it scares me to think that you have a license for it."

"Why would you shoot at me, Azula?" she grinned, wryly, "Weren't we best of friends?"

"Were we?" Azula frowned, "I see how this goes, Katara. This is your domain, so you have complete control over it, don't you?"

"So, you really are as smart as you act? And I always thought you cheated on your tests."

"Why pick on Toph?" Azula asked. "Wouldn't you rather torment me?"

Toph looked over at Azula, trying her best to keep her head above the sand, "She said what now?"

"I don't think I heard that right," Sokka said, "What are you, crazy? She's going to kill you, Azula!"

"I know what I'm dong," Azula said, pointedly, nodding her head to the side a little, "So what about it, Katara? Or are you just afraid that I'll beat you in this, too."

The other Katara looked over at Azula, her eyes glowing with white-hot rage. "You always do that, somehow you always try and make me look bad. But remember, Azula, Aang liked me best!"

Azula's level expression faltered briefly. "Don't even say that name to me --"

"Aang. Aang, Aang Aang Aang, Aang Aang, like, Aanging Aangly." The Katara imposter's smile grinned, but it was clear she was furious. "Do you want me to say it some more, 'Zula?"

"Are they really going to do this? Come on, guys, get me out of here -- huh?"

"Zuko," Sokka managed to say, quietly, "Good timing."

"I can see that,' he said. He was battered and bruised, and his good eye seemed to be developing a shiner, but he grabbed Toph by the back of her uniform and pulled her up.

"Wait, that was a distraction?" Toph muttered.

"Yeah," Sokka said.

"You totally didn't know that until now, did you?"

"I did! She told me," Sokka said.

"Before or after you got worried for her?"

"Um, no comment," Sokka said.

Unfortunately, the fake Katara's attention was now turned towards them, and her eyes gave off a light, soothing cerulean that soon turned stormy. The sands picked up as more encircled her in large torrent. "Azula!"

"Oh, now she's mad at me," Azula muttered. She steadied herself, and prepared to move. Whatever Katara's dark self was going to do now, she didn't really want to stick around to find out. Calculating the situation, Azula was ready.

The sands around her churned treacherously, like a whirlpool around her. Azula's face darkened with the realization that she was now surrounded by the treacherous sands around her and the massive monster in front of her.

"You have always been jealous of me, Azula!" she shrieked, "Always! Ever since we met!"

Azula didn't know where to make her first step. The sands were emotionless and treacherous, picking up speed, she'd soon be pulled under if she stayed, but the monster was emotional and furious, and she didn't fancy her chances against the spirit's mobility in this desert.

However, she pondered, that in and of itself presented some possibilities. A sly smile spread across her face. "Oh? I think your memory is getting faulty, Katara. It was you who envied me, you said so yourself."

"Of what you had, yeah, so I was," she said, suddenly defensive, "But of who you were? Never! I always knew you were a snake!"

"A snake, am I?" Azula said. She leapt forward, hoping that she'd caught the dark Katara's attention enough, "Don't make me laugh. You were the one planning against me, or don't you remember? Yes, Katara, I knew about your little secrets, snooping around Zhao's files looking for information. It suited me to let you think me a fool, but as I'm sure you are aware by now, I don't let anyone get the best of me."

"That's a lie!" she shrieked, her long limbs slamming into the sand, sending ripples throughout the desert. "You were the one who betrayed us."

"That's a matter of perspective!" she shouted, holding onto her footing with some difficulty. "As far as I was concerned, you were the ones betraying me!"

"What are those girls doing?" Toph sighed, angrily.

"While usually I'd be all for cat-fights, that's a big ugly monstrous version of my sister up there!" Sokka said, "Azula, change tactics, it isn't working!"

Azula was certain that it was. She pressed on, disregarding Sokka's call. "So, what now? Are you going to say I always belittled you? It was me who bought you your prom dress, remember. I always looked out for you."

"Liar," the other Katara snarled, "We never believed you!"

She was making mistakes, leaving openings, Azula reasoned, that was why she continued. Not the thrill of trading barbs with Katara. There was absolutely no ulterior motives for this, not even relieving her anger at and jealousy towards Katara -- there was none at all! "So what? I took care of you, invited you into this club to let you get a chance to find out what happened to your mother."

There was the kill-switch, Azula thought in glee, bringing up mothers always left Katara a bumbling mess. She just hoped this double was the same way.

She looked for her opening -- and found none.

The torrent of sand washed upon her, buffetting her on the wind, and knocked her prone to the ground. "You always loved bringing up my mother, didn't you?" This Katara was calm, and composed. "I thought about that for a long time, and I think you said something once that made it all click."

Azula squirmed, she could feel the sand left nasty cuts, she was probably bleeding, but she couldn't tell from behind her clenched eyes.

Katara swam towards her, wrapping her long finned body around where Azula stood, leaning her massive, smiling face over Azula, cerulean glow brightening in anticipation of the killing blow, "Your mother never loved you, did she? Mine died for me, you know, she loved me! You don't even know how that feels, do you?"

Ripples of anger brought Azula the strength to stand, to open her eyes, and stare at Katara's monstrously large eyes. "You --"

"You know, you admitted I was right," she grinned. "Like a wounded animal, you squirm, but you're finished, Azula. You don't have any power over me."

She had to find something, quickly, or it was over. Katara had complete control of the sands. Geysers of it erupted about, the others were too far away to reach her, to rescue her in time, not with the churning depths threatening to pull them low.

They looked helplessly on, trying to find a way, but Azula doubted they'd find one. She closed her eyes. If the mother issue was out, she had to find something, someone that she could leverage against her.

This other Katara was not one to wait, the sands were already threatening to devour her, not even slowly, she figured, this would be time for a scream before her lungs became full with sand.

Sokka? Toph? No, Katara was honest and open about them. She spoke every word she felt about all of them so willingly, all of them --

Except for one.

Azula grimaced. She wasn't particularly ready to face this yet, but she had to give it a shot. "Did you ever tell Aang that you loved him?"

The change in the other Katara was instant. She howled in such amazing rage and dived deep into the sand. The geysers slowly died as the fissures above where Katara swam moved further away.

"Azula!" Sokka was there in a second, "Are you crazy? What were you thinking?"

"Thought that I knew her better," she admitted, "She's changed since I last saw her --"

"Of course, I was trying to tell you that!"

"Azula," her brother said, and she ignored him, even though his low tones were plaintive and honest.

"We need to pursue her. We can't let her get away. Katara is counting on us."

Yue frowned, "She's nearby, at least, she didn't go far in that direction."

"How deep is she?"

"Very," she said, "And it's making it even harder to sense where she's gotten to. She could attempt to pull us under again."

"I won't let that happen," Sokka said.

"Wow, Snoozles, you're alert today."

"If you feel her surfacing, tell us," Azula said.

"Azula!"

"Zuzu, I don't want to hear it right now," she said. Her gaze was intense, and though Zuko's gaze met it in intensity, he saw she wasn't backing down and looked away, anger written on his face. "We need to work as a team."

"No, really?" Toph muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, stop being sarcastic," Sokka moaned, "I'm the sarcastic one."

"You're jealous of my awesome, is all, Snoozles."

"We need to remind her of Aang," Azula continued. "What do you remember of the last time she saw him?"

"Um," Toph suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable, "You really don't want to know."

"Why not?"

"Well, you and your thing and Katara and Aang's thing and the whole, y'know," Toph suddenly looked a bit red. Typical, Azula thought, she was a person completely unused to human relations.

"I'm well aware of Aang's feelings in the matter," she said, "Believe me." It came across as more bitter than she thought it would in her head.

"Well," Toph said, "She and him, they, well, you know, confessed and then he took his big nap. He hasn't woken up since."

"I see."

"You think -- you think that's important?" Toph asked. "She's had like a bazillion boyfriends since then."

"She never had one before," Azula said. "I see, so that's the root of this. Yue, try and wake Katara. Get her to admit how she feels about Aang."

"What?"

"Trust me," she said.

"Oh, oh," Yue fretted.

"And I'll --"

"She's coming!" Yue yelled.

"Where?" Azula's eyes shot across the field. The dark, empty skies seemed merciless -- familiar -- and deadly. "I don't see her --"

"Near! Right below us!"

"Move!" Azula shouted. It was the last sound the others heard from her. A blue, scaly hand wrapped around her leg and pulled her hard and down into the sand. She could feel it slamming against her and she found it increasingly difficult to breathe.

This, she reasoned, must be how it feels to be buried alive.

It was only be focusing on the path that was being cut by the other Katara that she was able to fight off a sudden onset of claustrophobia. The path seemed to have been dug out in advance, and led to a large, hollow area, where stone structures still remained. The shadows about it seemed viscous, and Azula swore it was clinging to her skin as she rolled through them.

"This is it, Azula," the other Katara said, "This is your tomb."

"Cozy," Azula coughed, though she wasn't sure where her bravado was coming from. The area around certainly seemed like a tomb. Empty, forsaken in the deep earth. "Are you here to keep me company?"

"I've got the others to deal with, for now, Azula. Just stay here and die!"

She burrowed up into the sand and left Azula to stare upwards. Limited air, she reasoned, with how densely packed the sand was. She may have a few hours, she may have less, she wasn't fully studied in how it would be to die buried under hundreds of yards of sand.

The ruins made up a temple, with inscriptions that looked like waves and people, and Azula studied them for a minute, trying to at least get her mind jogged and prepared to find an exit. The few doors that remained were totally filled in with sand, even the way that the other Katara had come. It was a miracle this place wasn't already filled.

Her contemplations were put to the wayside when she realized she was no longer alone.

"Who's there?" she called.

She knew who it was before she even answered, "Hello again!"

"Xiao," she said.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" the girl tittered happily. "I always wanted to say that. Didn't you?"

"No," Azula said.

"Naughty, lying to me!" she laughed, "Oh well, I'll forgive you since --"

"Since it's me," Azula said, "I know. If you don't mind telling me how you got here, maybe I can find a way out before we run out of air."

"I'm always with you," the girl said, "Even when it seems like you're alone, I'm there."

Well, Azula thought, that didn't sound remotely creepy at all. "Just what do you want? To keep me company?"

"I just thought I'd remind you that the end is coming. If you're going to die here, you'll miss it and that'd be a real pity. I want you to survive, or else the end just won't be the same."

"I'm not planning on dying," she snapped. The little girl laughed.

"You're looking really funny," Xiao said, "You've got sand everywhere!"

"If you didn't notice, there's sand everywhere," Azula answered, testily. What was this girl's point, anyway?

"Not everywhere, nope!" she said.

"Okay, then where?"

"Well, there's the ceiling and there's the floor. Those are made of stone, right?"

Azula didn't look pleased. Of course they were made of stone, but if she removed one from the ceiling, she'd be buried in the stuff before too long.

"And there's that oasis, too!" Xiao said, "That's water!"

Why hadn't Katara, a waterbender, gone near that water, Azula wondered. Perhaps there was a reason, perhaps something she could use against her? She took a deep breath, and then said, "Well, do you have any other ideas?"

"Well," Xiao said, "I wonder if there's sand under those stones."

Azula glowered. Going deeper to find a way out didn't seem very appealing, but at least she wouldn't have gravity working against her. "I don't suppose you have some other brilliant insights for me." She looked for a stone loose enough that she could pry it up. The building was made out of sturdy materials, but it was eroded and a couple of the stones seemed like they could be pulled up.

"Look upon my works ye mighty and tremble," she muttered, hefting one up, "Indeed."

"Every grain of sand is a secret, keep enough secrets and soon enough, you'll be buried in them!"

Azula looked at Xiao, "You know, I think I understood that one."

Xiao smiled, "I knew you would, since it's you!"

So, she looked at the viscous darkness that surrounded them, and she looked down at the empty blackness beneath the stone she'd lifted apprehensively. "What I wouldn't give for some firebending right around now."

"Well, if you don't take a risk, you'll never get out of here!"

"I know," she said, "But that doesn't make what I'm about to do any less insane. Perhaps I really am crazy."

"You're not crazy!"

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I just do."

"All right, fine," Azula said, snippily. She gave one last apprehensive glance at the blackness beneath her and leapt in.

* * *

Toph was knocked through the air by the sand blasted up from beneath Katara's tail. The massive fins slapped back down into the grains and she laughed, the sand bending around her fingertips as she turned towards Zuko.

She looked on him with such pity, "Why are you fighting, Zuko? I thought you hated it!"

He didn't respond just slicing down through the air, hoping to cut into her. All he hit was sand, as her arm fell off into the air as little more than a sandy breeze. She dug her arm back into the sand and it emerged, unscarred. "Oh, silly Zuzu, you should know you have to do better than that."

She slapped her hand around, a blast of sand interposing itself between her and a charging Sokka. "Sokka, bro, you really do suck."

"She's not even injured," Yue gasped, "Come on, Katara, please, wake up!"

Toph landed in the sand with a heavy sound and a grunt. She rolled around, trying to get to her feet quickly, "Ow."

"That one looked like it hurt," Sokka said, buried in the sand and struggling to break free, "She's just too much here."

"You ever try and fight Katara in water?" Toph wondered.

"No, why would I?"

"Me neither. But I kind of imagine it'd be like this."

"Yeah, probably," Sokka grunted. "Still, Zuko's doing pretty okay for himself."

"Well, that's because Zuko, unlike you, is awesome."

"Ow, Toph, so honest."

"It's what I do. Man, I bet he's doing some crazy acrobatics stuff like he always does."

"That's all that Firebending training for you," he said, "They get those fancy kicks."

Zuko was moving quick enough to avoid being blasted by sand, but Katara's double just seemed to take it with a bit of bemused mirth, especially at his silence, "Oh, come on, Zuzu, tell me how you really feel. I mean, I think you can do much better than Mai."

"Ooh boy," Toph said, "Low blow, attacking the girlfriend."

"Hey, maybe you could give me a hand instead of running commentary," Sokka snapped.

"Oh, fine. Baby."

Zuko snarled in rage, striking with a wide arc. Katara's cerulean eyes widened, "You always had a temper!" she slammed him in his side as he recovered from the swing, knocking him down into the sand. It rose up like a cage around him, snapping down across his arms and shoulders, pushing him down, "Now you're finished!"

"No!" Yue cried out, "Someone, help Zuko!"

"No one cares about your battle suggestions, Yue!" Katara's other self said, "Really. No one wanted to say, but you're really kind of useless in a fight."

"Katara, you don't mean that! Ooh, that's it, I'm giving you a long lecture on being polite when you wake up, little miss not-very-nice."

"Some help would be appreciated," Zuko grunted.

"You heard him, Snoozles," Toph said, pulling him out of the sand drift, "Get him out of there."

"Me? What about you."

"Someone's got to keep fish-butt here busy."

"Oh man," Sokka said, overtaken with giggles, "Fish-butt!"

"Go!" Toph yelled, pushing him. Katara's other self turned and looked at Toph, her expression puzzled.

"Okay, what can a blind girl do against me? You were never good with sand to begin with, I know that, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up and I'll show you."

"This should be good."

Toph cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and then shouted, "What was with your last boyfriend anyway? I swear he would peek on us when we were changing all year. It was embarrassing enough, and then you go out with him? And number two lasted, what, five minutes?"

"I, I don't need to defend my decisions there," the spirit said, looking a bit pale, "What are you talking about? It wasn't that short --"

"You're right, you're right. It was shorter! You walked like five feet, turned around, and said, 'Okay, you're dumped.' What's the problem, Katara, can't find a guy bald enough to date?"

Toph grinned at the snarl that she heard come from deep within the spirit's body. "That's a low blow, Toph. You've never had a boyfriend as far as I know. People are even saying you're dating that cripple kid in secret."

"Hey, leave Teo alone," Toph said, "We're here to talk about your problems, remember, not his. Though he has a lot, I'll tell you that."

* * *

Whatever she expected in the murky depths of these ruins, this was certainly not it. There was a very light drip of water from the ceiling, and the blackness ebbed away as she walked down the narrow passageway. From the looks of the thing, it was either an old underground aqueduct or, perhaps, a sewer.

The moist, muggy air in the passage was about all Azula could focus on. Skittering shadows moved away from her, frightened, perhaps they felt the massive spirit above them that Katara had made from whatever she was repressing.

She had a pretty good idea what it was now, but she needed the real Katara to accept it so they could finally leave this place.

The others were busy fighting that spirit off, but something told her that they weren't having much luck. If her instinct was right, though, she'd finally have a way to beat her.

But the passage seemed endless. Drips of water echoed from all over the passage, and it was getting more and more difficult to look back. Xiao had stayed behind, typical of her, honestly. Despite her claims that she was always there, she only seemed to appear when it was convenient for her.

The empty passage seemed to be quieter because of her absence, though.

She continued onwards.

Though the darkness left her blind down there, in the distance, she saw two small points of light, and as she approached, she saw they were a part of a larger, blackened mass. Even closer, she could see a nose, a mouth, hair, and a body.

There was that boy, standing in front of her. He stared straight into her. "You." The boy turned and started away. "Wait! Who are you!"

The boy turned his head to stare straight into her. She knew that face, she thought, from somewhere. And this whole situation felt so much like back in the hospital, where this all began. She grew tense, and the boy stopped, turning to look at her.

"You -- I know you," she said, with sudden realization. "That's impossible!"

The boy motioned for her to follow, and having no other choice, she followed him. Whatever his reasons, she felt that she could trust him implicitly. Could it really be him? She quietly called after the boy, "Aang?"

He didn't answer, he merely led her forward, and he walked towards a large, sand-covered stairway. He pointed upwards, and she looked at him. "But, aren't you --"

The boy said nothing, just watching her. She hesitated. She didn't know how to react, too afraid to reach out to him in case she passed right through him, as though he was just a fragment of a waking dream.

She looked at the stairs. They were covered in sand, almost absolutely buried in it. And she realized she'd have to climb her way through the sand before she could make it. She couldn't hold her breath long enough to climb out.

"That's impossible!" she shouted, but the boy was gone. She was alone again. He'd broken his promise again.

How was she going to get out of this.

"Every grain of sand is a secret, if you keep enough secrets you'll be buried in them," she repeated her herself, "Isn't that what Xiao said? I wonder." She approached the sand, placing her feet on top of it, letting them sink deep into it.

If she could let go of some of her own secrets, she wondered, would she be able to pass through?

"When I was four years old, I stole Zuko's favorite toy and broke it, blaming it on the rhinos," she said, "I once cheated on a pop quiz because I'd spent all night fighting spirits in the Spirit World." It wasn't doing enough. The sands just stood there, blocking her.

Azula groaned.

Perhaps, if she dug deeper. She hesitated, reluctant to speak. "I wish I could be as honest as Toph. She doesn't seem afraid of hurting anyone's feelings and yet no one seems to dislike her. I would kill for that."

The sand around her ankles began to sink, ebbing like the ocean at low tide.

"I've always admired Sokka's cunning, even though I thought he was an idiot."

This was addictive, Azula thought, she kept spouting these deep-seeded secrets left and right, and she walked through the sand, watching it drain away quicker and quicker. "I once went to one of Ty Lee's gymnastics competitions just to heckle her because she made me feel neglected when she went to Mai's birthday party without me. Almost there," she said. She looked at the steps, and how far she'd come.

"I wished I could have run away from everything like my brother did more times than I can remember! Yue made me wish I was a born a real princess. I always wanted to pet Momo, but I never did. I actually quite admired Suki, she was probably the only senpai I actually respected."

She closed her eyes, "Katara -- Katara may have been my enemy, but even when we fought I found myself wishing that we could go back to the way things were, before Aang came. She," Azula hesitated.

She didn't think she could admit that secret yet.

The sands didn't sink away. Azula scowled. she needed to find something to reveal. Logic and emotion fought it out, and Azula was not one to let her emotions get the better of her. Awkwardly, she continued.

"She was the one who made that dorm feel almost more home than home."

The sands shifted as she spoke, washing down the stairs. The dark sky with its blackened sun stared down at her. Azula blinked, adjusting her eyes to the light, as blackened as it might have been.

It was time to get back at the imposter Katara.

* * *

Katara's imposter shrieked as she raised her arm to slam Toph into the ground, the blind girl continuing to ridicule her parade of ex-boyfriends, oblivious to what the monstrous mermaid was about to do.

"Stop it! You're such a brat!" she yelled.

It left her open, and that was what she'd been counting on. She only hoped that Zuko and Sokka were ready, since she would happily admit, she had no idea what Katara's other-self was about to do. Unfortunately, Zuko was nowhere near free.

The sand bound him down and though Sokka managed to cut through some of the strands the sand had formed, there were still too many for him to move. Zuko looked at the imposter, and narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine," Zuko grunted as he wrested his arm free from the chains of sand, "Get over there and help Toph, I'll take care of the rest."

"Got it, buddy," Sokka said, readjusting his grip on his sword. He turned and charged at the fake Katara, slicing at her with enough force to force her to reel back. The cut was immediately covered with sand and the wound fixed, but her expression let him know she was still feeling it. He grimaced, "Look, I don't like this either, Katara."

"That hurt!"

"Sorry?" He was backhanded and she turned her attention back onto Toph. Her scowl deepened.

"Hey, pay attention to me, not him," she said, "Or can't you take the heat."

"Like, bored of talking, Bye bye now," the other-Katara said as she raised her hands up, sand parting underneath Toph's feet and rising up into the air. Zuko struggled to break free, and Sokka tried to shake off the disorientation he was feeling.

Toph showed no fear even as she felt the sands rising up around her.

The sands circled the air around Katara's hands, and she looked set to drop it all on top of Toph. The dry wind picked up grains and they drifted slowly through the air as the silence was broken by a loud ringing.

Katara's eyes widened, the cool cerulean glow turning stormy again. "Azula." The sand shot out in the direction of the gunshot, a deadly, cutting breeze that met with empty air. In the air above, Azula eclipsed the blackened sun and descended with a large gust of wind. It blow up the sand around the imposter, and she covered her face from the barrage.

"Azula?" Toph sounded perplexed, "Where'd you come from?"

"Long story," the girl said, adjusting her hair so she was perfectly preened and ready. She smirked, enjoying her big heroic entrance a little too much from the sound of her voice. Toph rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it's Azula. Yue, it's Azula!" Sokka said, looking a little punch-drunk."

"Yes, I see that, Sokka, thank you," Yue said, patiently, with a smile on her face, "We're relieved you're back."

"Get ready to move," Azula said, "I have an idea."

"Working on it," Sokka said. "Zuko, how are you doing?"

"Fine," Zuko said, slicing away at another chain of sand, "I'm just peachy."

"Get him free, Sokka," Azula said, "In the meantime, I'll see if I can lead her after me."

"Where are you going?" Yue wondered, astonished as Azula took off in a dash. "Azula, wait!"

Katara's imposter roared with rage, and threw the sand about her, "Running away already, Azula? And here I wanted to play with you ... privately," she snarled. Jumping into the sand, she kicked up fissures scross the sand as she swam after Azula.

"Get me loose," Zuko barked, "Azula may need us."

"I'm doing it as fast as I can, man," Sokka muttered, slicing at the chains, "But I think Azula can handle herself."

"She's headed towards the oasis," Yue said, perplexed, "But why would she be leading Katara's other self towards water?"

Zuko looked at Sokka, critically.

"Okay, so maybe she's gone completely crazy, how was I supposed to know?"

Just as the oasis seemed in sight, the ground in front of Azula burst open as Katara's massive mermaid form surfaced, slamming her with a concentrated blast of sand. Azula rolled back, reacting as best she could. "Here I was nice enough to give you a private little tomb to die in, and you somehow clawed your way up? How totally rude."

"Okay, Katara," she said, "What are you going to do now?" She needed to get Katara into that oasis, she just knew it, but she could see in Katara's eyes that she was already aware of her intent.

She was waiting for a way to turn this around.

"Like, hadn't decided. I just knew that I couldn't let you come all the way here and take my prime sunbathing spot."

"Well, decide quick," Azula said, striking with concentrated blasts of air. She tried to unsteady the massive mermaid, but she was too rooted into the sand. "Oh, I'm sorry, you never could make up your mind until it was too late. My mistake."

Katara's left eye twitched, she was sure of it.

However, there was still no way to get her into that oasis like this. Azula gripped her hands tight into fists, and looked for a route to the oasis. "And here I thought you loved water," she said, casually, hoping for a way around her.

"Maybe I do," she said, "But that's a secret!"

"Now you're getting evasive. What, I thought you wanted to lay it all bare," Azula said. "Unless you're scared."

"Scared, no? And, like, I'm no ditz, either. I know what you're thinking, but it won't work."

"Won't it?" Azula asked. She was right, it wasn't going to work. She couldn't bring her into the oasis, even by tricking her. However, her mind whirred into high gear, there was something else that could work, and with a confident smirk, she slid into stance.

"What are you doing, a waterbending stance? I've seen you waterbend, you're totally, like, a real loser at it."

"I know," Azula said.

She smirked, and Katara's other self narrowed her eyes, "You're not going to trick me. I know you're trying to fake me out and junk, but it isn't going to work!"

Azula knew she was in touch with the oasis's water, she could feel it moving behind Katara's massive mer-form, and in just a second, if she didn't move, things would fall perfectly into place. "Don't even think about it, you won't do it. I mean, all you ever do is splash yourself no matter where you are."

Azula flashed the imposter Katara a toothy, malicious grin.

Watching the pieces fall into place on the mer-Katara's face was the most satisfying part of the precedings. The water whipped up and rebelled against Azula's harsh, domineering stance, and the whole oasis seemed to rise up to strike her down.

The simple pleasure of watching the first droplets land against Katara's back, causing her to shriek in sheer agony, and through that pain the dawning realization of one detail she'd failed to put together.

She had blocked Azula off from the oasis, and, ergo, she had blocked the oasis off from Azula. "Oh, you have no idea how much I hate you right now, naughty girl," Katara said in a sultry tone as the water rushed forward.

Along the rise, the others stared in fascination as the wave contacted the massive mermaid, and the shrieks of agony kept raising in octave, becoming more and more shrill as the sand began to turn muddy and started to crack along her body. Shadows burst out of the fractures, and as more water splashed against her, seeping into the sand, the blackness seemed to radiate, just like a nova in the sky.

"Oh my," Yue squeaked.

The long, slender arms shattered into damp, dark sand and fell to the ground, her fin started to molt its sandy scales and reveal her legs beneath them, and the other-Katara fell to the ground, forced out of her body by the radiating puffs of black.

Collapsed, and utterly drained, she looked up at Azula one more time before falling to the ground in the puddle, the remains of her outer shell casting a shadow on her as the sun began to dry out the sand.

Azula, drenched by the water herself, just fell to her knees and looked stunned.

"She did it," Sokka said, amazed. "I don't believe it, that actually worked."

"Sokka?"

The four of them turned at the sound of Katara's groggy voice, and saw the girl rising from her deep unconsciousness. "Sis!" Sokka pulled her into a tight hug, "You're okay! You don't know how relieved that makes me. Now I don't have to tell dad!"

"Did something happen?" she said. "I feel like I got hit with a brick."

"You rejected your other self," Yue said, "Remember?"

"I think so -- what happened afterwards?"

"You went night-night, sister," Toph said, "Bam! KO'd."

"Yeah, I think I remember now," she said.

"No time for celebrations yet," Zuko said. "She's getting up."

"What? That didn't put her down?" Toph shouted, "That scream could have woken the dead!"

The other Katara rose to her feet, looking so desperate and mad as she stood up and stared at Azula. "Look at me!" she shouted. Her eyes shifted to the others, the soulless eyes shimmering, and she shouted as loud as she could. "Look at me!"

Katara looked down at herself. And held herself in her arms. She stood up and walked down the slope. "Katara? What are you doing?" Sokka shouted, "She's dangerous."

"No," Yue said, "Let her go. She's ready now."

"Huh?" Sokka looked at Yue and saw her smiling, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you see it? Katara's reached a better understanding of herself. Even without my senses, I can see how calm she is."

She didn't hesitate once walking towards her other self. The girl choked out a sob, looking so pathetic in her revealing attire and running make-up, she looked like a little girl trying so desperately to be taken as an adult.

She managed a weak, final, "Look at me," before she fell to the ground, sobbing.

"I am," Katara said, "I see you now. I'm so sorry," she pulled herself close, "I'm so, so sorry. You've been suffering all this time because of me and I never even recognized it."

"Katara? You --" Azula said, before stopping herself, watching Katara rock her own other self like a child.

"I kept you locked up, all of my insecurities, all of my fears and my anger and every petty little thing I didn't want to face, and I just kept you away because I had to be strong for everyone's sake, ever since I was small. I never had a chance to really let myself be sad."

The other self looked up into Katara's eyes, and nodded her head slowly.

"But that's okay, now. You're a part of me, and it's going to be okay now, I know it."

The other Katara faded into with the light, as clouds began to fill the sky and at first, there was a light pattering of rain, but soon, all too quickly, it began to downpour. The rain ran down her face, but through it all, Katara smiled.

"Katara?" Azula said, getting to her feet, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm okay now. Azula, I need to tell you something --"

"Guys!" Sokka said, running down the slope, "We got to get that key she had and get out of here on the double!"

"What?" Azula snapped, turning to Sokka. "She had the key? Katara, we need to find it, now." She looked around the muddying sands.

"Here it is!" Katara said, grabbing it from the ground beneath the massive mermaid sand construct that lay like a rotting carcass, "So, why do we got to hurry?"

There was a low rumbling under their feet.

"Oh," Azula said, calmly, with a good deal of understanding, "The aqueducts."

"The what?"

Spouts of water surged to the surface, buffetting them about and forcing them into a powerful current downstream as the roaring sound of waves of water began to wash over them. Azula could hear Katara shout something, and she tried to keep her head above water to see what she was doing.

However, the course of the flood was too quick, and she was pulled under.

The next thing she saw, when she opened her eyes, was a small room, comfortable, yet unlived in, with a small table and a boy in a sun mask who consulted with a deck of cards, which were placed on the table with apparent care.

He looked up, and his mask seemed to smile even wider.

"Oh, welcome back. It's been a while, hasn't it? I can't tell you how eager I've been to talk to you again. We have a lot to discuss and, unfortunately, not much time. So, shall we get right to it, then?"

"Lee?" Azula said, shaken. "Is that you?"

He nodded, "Still using that name? All right, that's okay! So, what have you learned so far."

_...Lee was the last thing on my mind, however, as I kept getting drawn back to that strange boy and how, through the shadows that covered his body from head to toe, I swore I could see Aang's face, just like I remembered it before --_

_But that left me dwelling on less-than-pleasant memories. I couldn't afford to follow that line of thought any further. Katara's other-self was an encounter I didn't particularly like to think about, since it brought up feelings of inadequacies that were, frankly, ludcrous. How a girl like that could ever be more liked than I was, it baffled me._

_And yet, in retrospect, I knew I felt the same way, that I wished I had her life, sometimes, just like she wished she had mine. In my delirious state, the sands seemed to be just as harsh to me as they were to anyone else, even someone just as brutally honest as Toph. Did that mean Toph had some secrets of her own?_

_What did Toph have to hide?_

_It did not take me long to learn to regret that curiosity. In the Labyrinth of Lethe, those secrets tend to turn deadly._

_To be continued._


	11. Fragment

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Play time, I put that behind, said I'm sorry I got to go from the side line to the main. I aim high, to the place no human has ever even tried."_

_- Deep Breath Deep Breath - Reincarnation-_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 10: **_Fragment_

"Am I dead?"

Azula's voice sounded alien to herself, so full of uncertainty, even as she took a breath of the foggy air in, looking at her pale skin under the low blue light of the room. It seemed like it was underwater, with ripples cast down from the lights above. Her breath mingled with the fog.

Lee, cocking his head to the side, looked at her, cautiously shaking his head, "Why would you think that?"

"I remember drowning."

"You're not dead, Azula," he said, "I promise."

Lee was busy putting his cards back into a pile, clearing off the table, and he didn't say anything as Azula sorted the thoughts in her head. She must have passed out, she reasoned, after the waters swept her away.

She'd never really feared for her life before, but it was a strange feeling, and one that wasn't very pleasant at all. She took in a deep breath, just to know she was alive, and let it out slowly, "Lee, where is this place?"

"Wherever you want it to be," he said. "It's a strange place, isn't it?"

"Stop playing games," she snarled, "I nearly died."

"I'm sorry," he said, apologetically, "I didn't realize what you were walking into at the beginning. If we had a time to talk, before now, I'd do what I could to warn you. That's what I want to discuss. There's been a change to the labyrinth since you entered it. More of those doors have popped up, and I didn't know that would happen."

"Those doors?"

"Yes, like the one I gave you the key for. Have you been able to enter the others?"

"Yes. So you knew about the garden. Why couldn't you have warned us about the desert -- others?"

"What desert?" he wondered.

"The one I nearly died in! What do you mean, others?"

"I thought you were drowning, though!"

Azula frowned, "Yes, the desert was being flooded at the time. What is so hard about that to understand? And stop ignoring my question!"

"I don't know," he said, "It's just interesting." He looked so infuriatingly smug behind that mask of his, she could feel it and it caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end; "But, if you entered a desert, that must mean someone created one. When Yue was trapped in the maze, she made that garden, but that wasn't all --"

"Her other side? Yes, there was one of those, too, and I don't really care to give you the details. What others?"

"Oh, right, I did say others, didn't I?" he said, looking bashful. "Well, I don't know how to explain this, really. But, here goes -- about the time you entered, there were a whole bunch of other doors that appeared. They're not exactly fully formed, which is good, but, well, I don't know how to explain this --"

"You're absolutely terrible at this," she said, "What is so important about this maze?"

"I'm not sure."

"And yet you're having me run through it like a pig-mouse for what reason?" she asked, standing and leaning forward against the table. "Do you think I enjoy risking my life for people who hate me?"

"Azula, please sit down, you're making me uncomfortable," Lee said, weakly.

She narrowed her eyes and curled her lip, angrily.

"Well, it's like this," he said, "It's not exactly your world, not exactly the Spirit World, it's between teh two, right?"

"That does seem to be the case."

"Well, you entered it from your world, wouldn't it make sense that the exit would be in the Spirit World?"

"I follow you so far. What's the problem with that?"

"Maybe nothing," he said, "Maybe everything. I don't know yet, and I don't want to risk it. I'm sorry, I know I'm asking a lot of you, but you were chosen for this because you could do it, Azula, and I trust you."

"I don't trust you."

"I, I know that," he said, looking aside, "I know you don't, and I haven't really given you any reason to. I want to tell you more, I really do, but you have to discover it yourself."

"What makes you think I want to?" she asked. She sat down, crossed her arms, and waited for him to answer, staring at the black eyeholes of the mask. The sun mask didn't stop smiling, but it was clear that Lee wasn't happy.

"I don't know," he said, "It's a bitter work, right?"

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, never mind," he said, "I guess not."

"Look, I don't know what you need me to do, Lee, I don't even know who you are," she said, "But if you plan to send me blind into these situations, find someone else."

"Wait!" he said.

"Yes?" she said, looking up from examining her nails.

"You're the only one who can do this, Azula," he said, "I can't explain it, but you're connected to the labyrinth, moreso than anyone."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how," he said, "Just that you are. I need your help, Azula, and I'll do what I can to help you in return."

She looked at him.

"How do we get back to the dorm?"

"The dorm?"

"We need to rest, we need time to get our heads on straight."

"Oh, right, right," he said, "Well, that's not going to be easy."

"What?"

"You're really deep in the labyrinth, now, and there's no easy way back except through one of those doors."

"Wonderful," she sighed. "Just perfect. Which one?"

"I don't know," he said, "But I imagine Yue will be able to find it. The labyrinth is getting larger by the second, so you don't have long to rest up, either. If you don't find your way to the other side, soon, you could be too late."

"I realize that," she said. "But it's no use going into these situations blind. What do you know about this door?"

"Nothing," he said, "I'm sorry. I know you're running off into danger, and if I could help you more, I would, but right now, I'm forced to just observe."

She frowned, "You really don't know."

He shook his head, "I wish I did."

"Is there anyone else in the maze, besides us?" she asked.

He hesitated, "There's something there, too," he said, "And part of it is really close to you, right this second. Please, be careful."

Her shoulders sagged, it wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. "I will be. Thank you, Lee."

"Next time we meet, I hope to have a better idea what's happening in the labyrinth. Good luck, Azula, I'm counting on you."

* * *

Lying atop soft linen, she squirmed and opened her eyes slowly, staring into a bright white light that illuminated a quiet room. She could see shadows behind a sterile curtain, talking. She recognized two of them immediately. Katara and Toph. The third, an old woman by the sound of her voice, had a cat on her head.

Frowning, she reasoned, she was in the nurse's office.

Frowning deeper, she remembered where she really was. The labyrinth, or perhaps another one of those strange doors to the past, neither of those options very hospitable. She sat up, resting on her arms and looking around.

Her uniform was dry, and clean, and she wondered if it had just been a dream, the water carrying her away and under, leaving her grasping onto one last desperate breath. But no, no matter what she did, she couldn't shake the reality of what happened.

Katara must have done something to save her. Azula glowered. That didn't make this any easier. The nurse was walking out of the room, and the two shadows approached the curtain, pulling it open and looking in. "Good morning," Katara said, quietly, "Feeling better?"

Azula stared at them.

"She's speechless," Toph said.

"You had us worried. You were out cold."

"I was elsewhere," Azula answered. She looked at Katara, "What happened?"

"The aqueduct broke," Toph said, "Least that's how Sokka explained it. The whole place flooded pretty soon after Sugar Queen here sorted out her issues, and you guys were in really low ground, so you got swept up by it. The rest of us were luckily enough on a nice hill."

"Lucky you," Azula coughed.

"Take it easy. You nearly drowned there," Katara said. "I tried to grab you, but you went under too quickly. I managed to bend us out of the river, and I think I got all of the water out of your lungs, but --"

"I'm fine," she said. "Your bending is back, then?"

"Yeah, just like that," she said, "I guess I can finally help fend off those creatures."

"I guess so," Azula said. "You were about to tell me something, before --"

"What? That? It's nothing! I was just thinking out loud," she said, "Forget about it." Azula frowned, and nodded her head. "And why are you here, Toph? Feeling a chill?"

"After that desert, I'd take snow any day," she said, "Nah, I was just giving Sweetness a hand. The boys and Yue went on ahead and decided to scope out the rest of this place. It's the weirdest thing."

"What is?" Azula asked.

"We don't know how we got here," Katara said, "And we don't know when we ended up, either. We're trying to figure it out, and maybe we can find a way out of here."

"I see." In the back of her mind, Lee's warning echoed. Something was definitely not right about this place. "I suppose we should continue."

"Yeah," Katara yawned. "I'm sorry, everything that's been going on has taken a lot out of me."

"Maybe you should rest," Toph said, "Get up, Spice Girl, let Katara get some sleep."

Azula nodded, and slid off the bed. Katara threw her hands up, apprehensively, "I don't need sleep that bad, really."

"Get some rest," Azula said, "I'll be running you ragged now that you've decided to rejoin the front lines."

Katara sighed, slumping forward and then walking towards the bed, "Fine, but only because I know you're not kidding."

Azula nodded, and with Toph at her side, left Katara to get some rest, pulling the curtain over to give her some privacy. The two girls then headed out of the nurse's office and out into the hall. Toph spoke suddenly, "You know what, I still don't get you."

"What?"

"You're mean, yeah, you're real mean, but you know what, I think you're getting soft all of a sudden," Toph continued, "Wish I could figure out what's going through your head. I don't even know when you're being sincere anymore, doubt you do, either."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Maybe you don't," Toph grumbled, "I just don't get you. Are you on our side or what?"

"I'm not on anyone's side," Azula said, "I'm trying to survive. You are too, everyone serves their own needs first. To do otherwise is stupid at a time like this."

"You know, we could have let you drown," Toph said, "But we didn't."

Azula sniffed indignantly, "You need me to get through this maze, so it was to your benefit to save me. Please, don't try and confuse the issue."

"Whatever," Toph said.

Walking through the halls, it almost seemed like a normal day-to-day student life had asserted itself in their lives. Boys ran by, taunting another, girls watched and giggled amongst themselves as they spread the local gossip.

Azula scoffed, she never cared for it. It was a distinguished school, and the willy-nilly attitudes of the student body did little to reflect that. Toph, however, seemed unfazed by it all. The normalcy of this all was disturbing.

"No one even thinks we stand out," Azula said, calmly, "This is different."

"No, it's not," Toph said.

"How can you be so certain."

"For all we know, it could be last year."

"Then, shouldn't we already be here, somewhere else?" Azula asked. "This feels wrong, something is different about this place, but I can't quite place my finger on it."

"Look, let's just find the others and figure it out together, instead of you going off and having your private little 'theories' that you don't share with anyone, okay? You need to be a team player if you want to lead us. You're lucky I managed to pick at the nerves of old fish-butt there, or you'd be down three teammates thanks to Katara's big ugly secret."

Azula frowned.

"Or not, you can keep hoping people pick up on your wavelength. Sure doesn't seem like a safe bet to me, though, nope."

Toph carried on ahead, leaving Azula frustrated, not only by Toph's brutal honesty, but by how right she was.

Behind them, the students seemed to lurch, their bodies hunching -- changing.

* * *

Katara couldn't quite get to sleep.

The noises that came in from the hall distracted her, the gossiping, gabbing, the yelling and shouting that carried into the infirmary, and despite the fact that she was exhausted, something was not sitting right with her.

She thought she saw shadows on the other side of the curtain, just standing there, watching her, hungrily, like waking nightmares just out of the corner of her eyes.

She clenched her eyes shut, trying to cast them out from her mind, but they still loomed in her mind's eye and when she opened her eyes, though they were gone like they'd never even been, she could still feel them boring into the back of her head.

When the door to the infirmary opened, she nearly jumped out of her skin. The shadow of whoever it was looked at the curtain for a good minute, hesitant and unsure of what to do, and Katara was just as equally uncertain. "Who's there?"

The shadow moved, and approached. It seemed familiar now. "Katara?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Suki?" she blinked, and rubbed her eyes. Yes, the shape on the other side definitely belonged to Suki, how had she not seen that before? "Suki, am I glad to see you."

"You've been gone forever, Katara," she said, "Where did you go?"

There was a strange sensation, like her mind was being massaged. It put her off, and she looked at Suki strangely. "Go? What do you mean?"

"You were missing for days. We didn't think you'd be back, any of you."

"Days?" But that didn't make sense, a part of her mind said. Suki grew straight and laughed.

"Just pulling your leg," she said. "Seriously, Sokka said you'd been through a lot. What did you do this time?"

"Well, you know," Katara offered, weakly. "Why are you standing over there?" She sat up, "I mean, it's not like I'm sleeping or something."

"I think I'd rather stay here," she said strangely.

"Suki?"

"What?" she spoke more organically now, so different from the staccato voice that answered her just now. "Is something wrong?"

"You're acting strangely," she said. She approached the curtain and began to pull it open when Suki suddenly kept it shut. She could hear more people coming into the room. "What's going on? Did someone get hurt."

"Everything's fine," Suki said. "Don't worry. Just get some sleep. Everything's fine, don't worry."

"Suki? Come on, if this is a joke --" she pulled the curtain open. There she saw students of all shapes and sizes, and Suki at the fore. But they weren't students, and that wasn't Suki.

They had no faces.

* * *

Yue sighed, sitting on the rooftop. Sokka was pacing, and trying to put everything together. Zuko just grimaced, still feeling the sting from Katara's waterbending healing. At least his bruises were healed, Yue thought.

"So, where in time are we?" Sokka wondered.

"I don't know."

"No one seemed to wonder about me," Yue said, "And neither did they wonder about Zuko."

"Yeah, and since you both have the same seat, I don't know why that is," Sokka said, his shoulders drooping in defeat. "Everything that makes sense doesn't make sense anymore. I don't think we're anywhere in time."

"So?"

"I don't know what that means!"

Yue and Zuko looked at each other, and then shook their heads slowly. "Okay, then what do we do about it?" Zuko said. Yue shrugged and Sokka just stared blankly at him. "Well?"

"I don't know," he said, "We're being thrown another curveball. This maze is crazy. I thought I had it all worked out and then it just goes and messes with us."

"The maze does feel like it's alive," Yue admitted. "And it feels close, too, almost like it's right in front of us."

"Could we be in it, right now?" Zuko asked.

Sokka closed his eyes. "That just makes less sense. But, when you eliminate all possibilities, whatever remains, no matter how unplausible, it must be the truth."

"Or you just haven't thought up all possibilities," Zuko muttered.

"Quiet, you."

"I'm just saying," Zuko said, "That may be true, but what does that even mean?"

Sokka sighed, "Back to square one. I wonder if Azula's gotten up. She'd have some ideas, or at least shoot down the really crazy ones faster than you do, Zuko."

"Whatever."

"Don't worry, buddy, someday you too will be able to utilize sarcasm as a weapon of deadly force, you just got to keep reaching for the stars."

Yue giggled, "Sokka, you're so mean to Zuko."

"I'm not mean, that's just how male bonding works."

"I hate you so much," Zuko grunted.

"I hate you, too, buddy!" He offered Yue a large smile, "See? Bonding. It's happening right before your eyes."

"Oh, I see!" she said, clapping her hands together.

"Why don't we just go see if she's woken up yet," Zuko grunted. "Maybe Katara can whip some sense into you in the process."

"Oh yeah, or Toph!" Sokka said. "Why is it everyone but Yue likes to make fun of my ideas?"

"Oh, but I want to make fun of them, too, it's just that everyone gets their comments in before me and I don't want to impose."

"Hey, my dumb ideas may be dumb, but they get results!"

Zuko rolled his eyes as he opened the door inside, and he then just as suddenly closed it. It took him a good few seconds for him to manage to say what he wanted to. "Need one of your dumb ideas, Sokka."

"Oh, now you need me to be an idiot!"

"I think whatever is behind this is behind that door."

"What makes you say that?"

Sokka wrested the door from Zuko's hands and opened it. Like zombies, the flood of students without faces stood. They had masks on to disguise their blank features, some wore masks over the blank places on their heads where eyes and noses should have been, and their uniforms were showing signs of tatter and decay.

"Oh, that's what. Good to know."

* * *

Things had grown to quiet. The halls upstairs were too empty for a busy school day, and Toph's toes tapped impatiently whenever Azula would jolt to a stop and look around. Any shadow that fell she'd chase after, until it would disappear, a trick of the light.

"What's with you, anyway."

"We're not alone here."

"Sure sounds it," she said. "Where'd everyone go? I didn't hear any bell."

"This isn't real, Toph," she said, "There's something trying to trap us. This place, it's meant to put our guard down -- but for what reason." She frowned, unleashing a quiet snarl, "Whatever it is had better watch out."

"Sure, we're in a big old trap, whatever," Toph said, throwing her hands behind her head, "Keep saying it, maybe it'll be true. Crazy-chick."

Toph winced. From downstairs, there was a piercing sound that threatened to shake down her entire argument. An ear-splitting scream. "Okay, you planned that, I know it."

"No. That was Katara," Azula grimaced.

"What are you waiting for, let's go!"

"It could be an ambush," Azula answered. "We can't rush in."

"Sure we can. You've got a gun, go in with it blazing!"

"It could be a trap."

"I don't care. We have to help Katara."

"And what about the others?" Azula asked. "I understand you have this idea that we have to be noble and heroic, but let me put this into perspective for you, they may be in as much trouble as Katara, maybe more, and this is just a distraction. We need to consider that."

"Fine, if you're not going," Toph said, rolling up her sleeves, "Then I will."

"Toph, wait."

But it was pointless. Toph didn't listen to her and just charged down stairs as fast as she could manage. Azula looked up the stairs, and then back down them again, confronted with the choice. "Idiot," she murmured, "I'm an idiot."

She charged down the stairs, and found herself in the middle of a sea of zombies.

"Toph!" she called out. She couldn't see Toph anywhere, the crowd of zombies was too thick. Where had they come from, and why were they all wearing the school uniform. "Out of my way!" she whipped her hand forward, blasting a path through the zombies with a powerful gust of wind.

Consciously wrapping the wind about her, she moved forward, sprinting, light on her feet. "Toph, where are you?" She spun around, knocking a large portion of the zombie school population off their feet. "Say something!"

"Over here," she responded, voice stunned, and without the strength and resolve, "Got jumped. Stupid -- why do you got to be right all the time?"

Azula propelled herself towards the voice, surrounding herself in a vortex of wind as she moved. Even if these zombies lacked faces, she didn't particularly care to let them touch her. She'd seen one too many zombie movie for it not to cross her mind.

Toph was looking more frightened than hurt. She was standing upon a desk in one of the class rooms, using a chair to bat them away. "Oh, now you show up," Toph muttered.

"Come on. We have to move," Azula said while the zombies around her were flattened by powerful gale winds.

"Coming, just gimme a sec," Toph said. "You know how lucky I was to find this thing? You try running blind through moaning and shuffling zombies."

Azula struck down one and turned to offer her hand to Toph. "Come on!" Toph took her hand, apprehensively, and slowly climbed down off the desk. Azula turned around, prepared to run through the still recovering zombies. And turned to look one dead in the eye of its mask.

She nearly screamed, but bit it down. The zombie stared lifelessly forward. It was dripping water from the ice that wrapped around it, holding it in place. "Azula?" Toph asked, "What's wrong?"

Azula pushed the thing over. The ice shattering as it fell, leaving it in pieces. "Nothing. Katara -- you --"

"Katara?"

Azula stared forward at Katara, water circling her in long streams as she whipped and froze the zombies that shambled after her. "Guys, I'm happy to see you, too, but I don't think now is the time for talking."

"Of course not," Azula said, recovering herself. "Hold tight, I'm tired of these things." She gathered as much air as she could in her hands, tightening it, feeling it actively rebel against her. She couldn't contain it forever, but, she hoped, if she held on for just a while longer --

When it was unleashed the gusts were incredible, pushing back desks and chairs, and it was only through the girls pushing back against it that they weren't knocked down with the horde of zombies around them.

"Okay, I'm impressed," Toph said, her hair blown straight back.

Katara held back a snicker, "Toph, your hair."

"So what? Still got zombies, should run," Toph said.

"Yes, excellent suggestion," Azula said, between a snigger, "Let's go."

"You cannot escape." The voice belonged to Suki -- or was it Teo -- it was so hard to tell with the multiple sounds piercing their ears as it spoke. It wore a fragmented mask over its face, and it looked like Suki, except for the face. Or maybe it was Mai -- it was getting hard to tell.

"What is that?"

The fragment lifted its hand, pointing a finger at them, her other fingers falling limply as she did so, "Go, make sure they do not escape."

"I don't know, Toph," Azula said.

"I don't know either," Katara said, "But we need to go, now!" She whipped her hands out, water cracking as it came in contact with a zombie student and knocking him back into several of his peers,

"Here they come," Azula said. She straightened herself up. "Go. Head for the roof."

"What about you?" Katara asked, "We didn't save you because we wanted you to throw yourself at a horde of zombies!"

"We didn't exactly plan on that, now, did we?" Azula asked, "Besides, this can't kill me."

Katara grimaced, but nodded, taking Toph gently by the wrist, "Let's go, Toph."

Hearing their footsteps climb the steps, Azula stepped forward, her eyes sternly on the fragmented zombie in the lead. "I don't know what you are, but you're going to have to do a lot better to stop me." She lifted her hand up, forming the wind into a cutting breeze.

It sliced through the air, barreling towards the fragmented leader.

* * *

And on the stairs, Katara was beginning to express doubts. "This isn't right," she said, "Azula should be right behind us!"

"Keep moving," Toph responded, not even hesitating, "She said she'd survive, so believe her."

"So? She could be --"

"So could the rest of them. She's fine. If she needs us, she'll signal or something, trust me."

Katara stood off the flight at the third floor and stopped. There was a flood of zombies heading towards the roof, clawing over each other to get a turn. "Oh, I can hear that one," Toph said, "We've hit zombie central haven't we?"

"Oh yeah."

"They got to be up there," Toph said, "We need to get them out."

As she said that, a zombie flew through the crowd, knocking a bunch of them to the floor and left them dazed and uncoordinated, even by zombie standards, Katara noted. "Whoa, who did that --"

"Oh yeah, you want some more?" Sokka shouted from atop the stairs, "Well have some more! Zuko, keep throwing them."

"Why."

"It's buying us time, isn't it?"

"They need us," Toph said, "And if Zuko's following Sokka's orders, things must be bad up there."

"Right." Katara drew water from her bottle, looking at the crowd, "Well, let's get started."

She threw her hands forward, the water enveloped the zombies, twisting upwards until it encased them in a spire of ice.

* * *

The fragmented mask tore off of the zombie, falling to the ground with little fanfare. The zombie lurched forward, and then fell, her hair falling around her head like a halo. The mask, however, seemed to stare upwards.

Azula looked at the procession of zombies, their lurching stopped, and turned around. Azula frowned, and hesitated only a second. She leapt into the air, knocking those around her down with the force of air propelling her upwards. The mask, she had to reach it before another one picked it up.

Wind blasted the zombies away and she picked up the fragmented mask. To look at it closely, it looked made of other masks, red and orange and blue, with a trim of green hanging off of it, different patterns, a mask for a man stitched to a painted flower.

And if she wasn't missing her guess, it blinked at her.

Steeling herself to destroy it, she brought her hand up, and was about to let it drop, to shatter it, when the floor shifted, lifting the mask up to face her, eye-level. "Stop her," it said, in a voice that shrieked inside her mind.

The zombies grabbed at her arms, tearing her away from the mask, but she fought back, trying to push them off, to get back and finish it.

* * *

"Sis! Great timing!" Sokka called from the top of the stairs, "Zuko's getting exhausted just tossing anything at them. We ran out of things to throw, so we just started tossing _them_ down the stairs."

"Great idea," Katara said, weakly. "Way to think outside the box, Sokka."

"See, knew it was a good plan."

"Please, Sokka, this is far from the time!" Yue called. "Katara, whatever is doing this must be stopped, there is no end in sight. They just keep coming."

"I know," Katara said, "Azula's attacking something downstairs. Something really -- well -- weird."

"Well, that's just great. How do we get down there?"

"Maybe I could throw you," Zuko grunted.

"That's not a good idea. Yue could make it, but I'm far too delicate," Sokka said, weakly.

"Sokka!"

"Sorry, Yue, I panicked."

The zombies lurched to a stop. They started spilling down the stairs, hurriedly trying to move downstairs. Katara pushed Toph out of the way and watched mystified as they moved right by them, as if they'd ceased to exist.

"Okay, that's not normal," Sokka said, "Zombie hordes don't usually do that when there's living flesh nearby."

"They're not really zombies," Zuko muttered, "They don't even have mouths."

"Still, they hunger for brains," Sokka said. "So what's the deal?"

"I don't know," Yue said, "But we shouldn't just sit here waiting, yes?" She pointed at the empty expanse of stairs, littered only with a few of the totally unmoving zombies, one of who lifted his arm impotently upward at them.

Zuko stepped on the arm and crushed it. "Good idea," he said, taking the steps down. "Azula's down there. She must have done something to really tick them off."

"Typical Azula, then," Toph grinned.

"Maybe so," Yue said, "But I don't think we should just sit here and joke about things at a time like this."

"Agreed," Sokka said, "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Never mind," Katara said. "What do we do?"

"Well," Sokka said, looking at Katara, "Since you can bend again --"

Katara looked at him, and then down at the shambling mass that was heading downstairs. Azula wouldn't be able to take on that many alone -- "Tell me what I have to do."

* * *

Azula nearly fell to her back, and the zombies were fast approaching. A quick kick, a gust of wind, and she was on her feet, but pinned with her back to the wall and zombie students at all sides. Her hands reached for her gun, but she realized it would be too slow. She needed to react, fast.

She combed her brain for any ideas, any inklings, and she found herself drying blanks. She'd have to fight, to push herself towards the fragmented mask, which already was being put on a new student zombie.

She thrust her arms forward, a wide blast of wind knocking down the zombies, as even more spilled in.

In Ty Lee's voice -- or was it Katara's? -- the mask shouted, "Do not let her escape."

There wasn't even ground as far as Azula saw, just more and more zombies, zombies clawing over each other to get to her first. Outnumbered, and outmaneuvered, she had to think of something. Blasting one group, she found another was more than eager to spill into its place and take over.

She cast a glance to the stairs. More and more fell down the steps, crawling towards her. "I think I've got you scared, why don't you just stop struggling."

"Do not allow them escape -- join us, Azula."

Whose voice was it now. Azula couldn't even tell, it was even more distorted and fragmented inside her head every time it spoke. It was desperate, it was scared, but there was no mind to manipulate, it simply seemed to exist.

Which usually would suit her just fine, but she wasn't in the position to charge it down.

"Now would be a wonderful time for you to have second thoughts, Katara," she muttered.

"No one comes for you, Azula."

"Stop it!" she shouted, "That voice! Never use that voice again!"

It chuckled in a boyish voice. "Azula."

She wouldn't allow that thing to speak to her in his voice, she vowed, angrily. The wind wrapped around her, like a tornado, forcing aside another shambling group of students. Crashing down the stairs, water spilled over the ground, alive, moving and rising up, striking through a group of zombies, freezing them in place before retreating.

"Azula! The cavalry's here!" Toph shouted.

"Great," Azula said. "Katara -- that one, the one issuing the orders? Destroy that one's mask."

"Me? How?"

"Figure something out!" she shouted. "I can't get a clear shot with all of these things." She blasted another group away.

"We'll cover you, sis," Sokka said.

"Gee, thanks," Katara said, "No pressure, right? Great way to test out my waterbending, right? Just once, can't we end up in a sunny island without the evil monsters trying to kill us?"

She concentrated, feeling the water move about her. She had an idea. "Hurry it up, Sugar Queen, ain't got long." Toph pushed one of the students away with a grunt, "They're really not happy with you now."

"Bring them down, make them one of us," the mask shouted, this time in a deep, commanding voice that seemed to shift to a matronly old voice every so often, sometimes the two overlapped. "Let none of them escape!"

"No pressure or anything," Sokka grunted, swinging his sword down at one of them. "Except for the zombie horde, that may be a little pressure."

Like a shimmering streak through the sky, a small droplet of water flew through the sky, running straight across the mask. "That was it?" Azula wondered, "What are you doing, Katara?"

"I know, I know, trust me, okay?" she said.

The mask began to speak when its lower half suddenly fell to the ground. The zombie students stopped, mid-step, collapsing to the ground and began to melt, the school walls turned into a dark mass before collapsing around them, all of it flowing towards the mask.

It melted into the mass, itself, and reformed itself, One small fragment, staring at them from atop the shadowy mass.

"What is that?" Katara murmured.

"Another one, like the one before," Azula commented. "Well, now, what does it do without its mindless horde?" The creature stared at her and looked around, its eyes falling on something just above Azula's shoulder right before it unleashed a shriek.

"Cowardly creature," she said. "Get back here!"

She was about to chase after it when she saw the others, each looking behind her. Toph, for her part, seemed just as confused as she was, "What's going on? Why'd it scream like that?"

"I don't know," Azula said, turning around.

"It's that kid again," Zuko said.

"Aang?" Azula whispered.

Katara's eyes widened, "Aang? Is that -- I don't believe it --" she stared at the boy, who stared back with empty, shimmering eyes that glowed a cold blue. He then turned and walked towards a door in the distance. The long, tall hall they stood in was covered in ruined statues, water dripping from the ceiling.

The cold architecture of the labyrinth around them, and the door in front of them, they stared until the boy vanished.

"Aang's here," Katara whispered, "He's really here."

"Then what's he doing just leaving us like this? I don't buy it, Katara," she stared at Azula, "How do we know this isn't one of your tricks."

"Why would I lie about that?" Azula asked.

Katara looked at her, and then back at where he had left them. "I believe her, Toph. That was Aang, no doubt about it."

"How come we didn't recognize him? How come Yue --"

"It's odd, but yes, there is something familiar about him, Toph. I think he may well be Aang."

Katara glanced at Azula, "When were you going to mention this?"

"During the zombie horde, honest. I just got side-tracked by the talking monster mask. Sorry."

Katara frowned. "I guess we follow. Maybe he's trying to lead us somewhere."

The door looked imposing. The number seven was written on the frame. A cool breeze came from within, chilling them even within the cool air of the labyrinth. "Another one of these," Azula said. "There may be no way out of this one, again."

"Yeah," Sokka said, "We got to be ready to face ourselves, whether we like it or not."

Toph kicked at the door. "So what? Let's go, get that dumb key out already."

Katara pulled it out of her pack, and handed it to Azula, "There. Hold onto it, tight," she said. Azula rolled her eyes and put it to the door.

It creaked open, slowly, like it had been knocked ajar already.

"What was that noise?" Yue asked, suddenly. No one else had heard a noise, and they looked around quizzically. Then, it became loud enough for them to hear, like the distant roar of thunder. The water dripping got faster, behind them. "Is that water?"

Katara moved quickly, pushing her hands forward to stop the surge of water from above them. "Guys," she said, grunting, "We need to move, now!"

Azula looked down inside the door. A large pool of water lay in stony confines, held by locks and dams -- she grimaced. It looked like there was a jump. "Long way down."

"Down?" Toph asked.

"Here, Toph, hold on," Sokka said, picking her up.

"Hey! Let go!" she said, blushing furiously. "What's the big idea."

"You want to go for a swim?" he asked.

"Uh, no."

"Then hold on," he said. "Lead on, Azula."

Azula nodded, and from the ledge of the door, she dived in.

_To be continued._

_A/N: No excuse for delays on this one. Mass Effect 2 is so good I had to beat it twice. Sorry.x_


	12. The Depths of Defeat

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"I don't care anymore, enough of fake smiles, buckwild I go. Tried it on but it didn't fit me so I found a better pair of shoes to walk. Even in defeat I hold my pride never gonna talk."_

_- Mass Destruction - Reincarnation-_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 11: **_The Depths of Defeat_

And they hit the water with a splash, just as the deluge washed down across the old stone water-ways, the sound of water going through steel pipes that wrapped around the ancient submerged resevoirs around them.

They came up for air.

"That was crazy!" Toph shrieked, "Whose bright idea was that?"

The murky waters about them smelled stagnant and foul, and around them, a heavy mist fell on everything, obscuring the molding, ancient stones that held the water in place. Long, narrow platforms, made of slippery, eroded stone cut a path across the waves.

Azula swam towards it without a word.

"Relax, Toph," Katara said, "We didn't have much of a choice."

Azula wrung out the water from her uniform's jacket, looking distastefully around her. Examining the area for paths and passages, and finding nothing but a mess of pipes and old raised waterways. The water had long since grown still.

She could feel the water in her socks squish as she pressed down on the soaked insoles.

"We shouldn't just sit around," Yue said, "We'll catch a death of cold here."

"Good point," Katara said. The others swam towards the stone passage, climbing up where a rail once guarded. "Azula --"

"What."

"-- relax, Azula," Katara said, forcing a smile as best she could, "Maybe you could help me get us all dry."

Azula cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out whether or not Katara was growing a second head or not. She finally set her lip in a stony frown, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Katara's smile shook, "Well, you're able to bend water, you can help me get the water out of everyone's clothes. If you just follow my lead --"

"And get myself wet instead, no thanks. I'll take my chances."

"You need to learn how to bend water properly," Katara said. Her smile was still hanging on, but its grip was tenuous at best. "I'm offering to start teaching you, Azula. From the looks of things, we're going to need to work together."

Azula stared at Katara, her brain moving as fast as it could to process this information, and Katara stared back, her smile all but faded from her face and replaced with an angry scowl. And while the two girls proceeded to stare each other down, the others began to look around.

"Massive," Zuko said, "This isn't going to be easy."

"Yeah, no way around. Do we go up, or what?" Sokka asked. He looked down at the stagnant waters around them, "Or do we have to go through that?"

"I hope not," Zuko muttered. "There has to be a way out of here, though."

"All right."

Katara's expression reset itself, turning to shock in place of frustration, "All right?"

"Show me."

"Uh, well, any volunteers?" Katara asked, looking at the assorted and variously sopping wet individuals. "Yue? Toph?"

"I'll do it," Toph said. "Better get me all dry, Spice Girl."

"Oh, yes, of course, we'd hate for you to need to bathe," Azula muttered.

"That's right!"

Azula looked at Katara, and raised her brow, "Well, how do I begin?"

"Push and pull," Katara said, "More pull in this case, but, okay, Watch me." She drew out the water from her uniform, forming it into a murky sphere that floated just between her hands, moving back and forth between them, before she dropped it back into the pool.

She moved smoothly, never changing pace, always slow, but methodical. It was the precise opposite of everything Azula had learned.

She was beginning to get frustrated. It took Aang months to master Earthbending, his natural opposite, but restrains necessitated a more active learning experience from Azula. "Well?"

"I'm going," Azula said, looking over at Katara. Despite her prompting, she didn't seem at all impatient. Aang had always been glowing about Katara's teaching method, the calm, even temperment seemed suited to the element she was learning.

It wasn't rigid enough, though, she wasn't being told her form was wrong, even as she cycled through the stances, shifting her weight about, trying to find it in the strange, alien form. Airbending, she had to admit, had a natural grace to it, smoething akin to Firebending. Waterbending just made her feel uncomfortable.

"Okay, Azula, give it a try," she said. Not rushing, but perhaps trying to hint that she'd finally found the right balance. No matter what, Azula braced herself to be struck by the incoming muck filled water.

"Easy," Katara said, calmly, "You've got a good start, but you need to keep your movements loose. See yourself as part of the water."

"I'm feeling dryer already, keep it up, Power Princess."

"Draw it to yourself, but not too quickly, just hold onto it, at arm's length." Azula tried ot keep her pulling movement close to her body, fighting her natural instinct to seize her arms back with as much force as she could.

The water moved over towards her hands, before dropping onto the old stones with a large splash. Her feet were soaked, but she wasn't any worse for wear. Still, it was infuriating. "This bending is pointless. What's the use in an element that you can't command? In the time it takes for you to get it to move for you, you'll already be defeated."

"Katara's kicked your butt plenty of times, Azula," Toph said. She grinned while Azula glared through her nose at Toph. Toph could hear the low growl. "Well, it's true."

"You're dry, move out of the way so someone else can get dried off."

Azula and Katara worked together to draw the water out of everyone's clothes, and as she continued to follow the motion, rigidly committing Katara's own movements to memory, copying it as best as she could.

The others could sense her frustration, and once they were finished, they kept a distance, examining the platform they were on and the area about them. The murky waters went on for a while, and there was no telling how deep they were.

The sound of water would sometimes grow louder, and a crashing sound in the distance would signal a spout opening up and letting water down through the overhead waterways, but the mist was too thick to see high up.

Pipes dove deep into the water, emerging in the distance, and climbing over the stone walls of the basin, and down into the abyss that stretched beneath.

Toph paced angrily, grabbing hold of an old bit of railing that somehow stayed latched to the stone. "We can't just keep sitting around here."

"We know," Sokka muttered, "You keep saying that."

Yue drew in a breath, and sighed, "I can't say for certain, but perhaps there's a way further down -- safely, anyway."

"How?" Katara asked, looking over at Azula out of the corner of her eye. The other girl was off on the far edge of the platform, looking down at the gaping darkness. More waterways could be seen, but the mist shot out from below with such thickness that there was no way to be certain as to where they led.

"Perhaps there's a way in the water here?" Yue asked.

"We have to swim? Yuck!" Toph said, voicing her distrust by scrounging a loose pebble and throwing it into the water. "Hate water."

"It's the only idea we've got," Sokka said. "Guess we're going to have to dive right back in."

"Maybe, maybe not," Azula said, walking back over. "There seems to be a lock of some sort."

"So, where do we get a key?"

"Not what I meant," Azula said. She pointed back towards the edge, "I can see a place where we might be able to drain the water, but I don't know what mechanisms there are, or even where they are."

"Hey, Katara," Sokka said, brightening, "Maybe you can use your waterbending skills to find it."

"I don't think I can manage that," Katara said, fussing, "But, I can give it a try."

Azula watched Katara lift her hands up, and pull the water up with them, pulling it up, and then pushing it in, ever so slightly. Azula crossed her arms, taking in how she held herself, how she moved, looking for some hint as to what she missed.

"Huh, that's deep," Sokka said, "I can't see the bottom yet."

The water crashed back down into the basin, sending a wave forward that splashed over the edge, tumbling into the abyss, and leaving Katara looking drained. "I can't do it."

"Perhaps not," Azula said, "Perhaps you should dive right in."

Katara looked over at Azula, and saw the large grin on the Houou girl's face. She turned away quickly to hide it, "It's the only logical way. Perhaps you can feel your way through the murk."

Katara sighed. "Fine, Azula. I'll do it."

With a deep breat, Katara descended into the water, while the others looked down at the ripples she left behind. She was vanished in that black murk, entirely invisible to their eyes, and yet, they stared.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sokka asked.

Zuko grunted, angrily, "Only one we've got."

"Yeah, true," Sokka said. "That stuff looks ugly."

The drips in the water left cascading ripples that extended and melded with each other, bubbles emerging from somewhere deep. Azula's eyes kept focused on tracking Katara, trying to find some hint of where she was.

It was then that there was an audible sound as cogs began to move. A large floodgate opened, and then the sound from the pool replaced it. "She did it," Azula said.

"That's great, really, so where is she?" Sokka asked. The pool was fast emptying, at least half of it, if they had to guess, and they could see the top of the floodgate, the mechanisms that controlled it were besides it, popping out of the murk.

But Katara wasn't there.

"Yue, where is she?" Azula demanded, snapping furiously.

"She's, oh my, she's getting further away by the second."

"She must have been dragged down," Zuko grunted. "We need to follow --"

"Calm down," Azula snapped again, looking around. The old stone path had a narrow stairwell that was cut into the rock. It was very narrow, and there were no safety rails or anything. "We can climb down here."

The water was beginning to empty, the roar from the unleashed monsoon had died down and was now just a quiet rush, the the uneven surface of the rockbed the pool was built on jutted out at points, leaving a fall looking even more treacherous.

Azula put a foot on the step, the water made it slick. She moved slowly.

"Toph's never going to make it down those in one piece," Sokka murmured. "Hey, Toph, I'll carry you down, okay?"

"Like fun you will!" Toph protested. "I can do it."

"No,' Zuko grunted.

"No -- what?"

"You can't," he said, looking at her steadily. "You can't see where you're stepping."

"Oh, so this is because I'm blind, huh?" Toph growled, "Suddenly, I can't do anything by myself!"

"We're not saying that," Yue protested, "It's just, they're very dangerous looking."

"Would you all just shut up and carry her down here?" Azula said, steadying herself. She never suffered from vertigo before, but these stairs carried on for a good twenty feet, and the water below was now just high enough to get her ankles wet.

"I can do it!" Toph said, pushing her way to the front. "Look, I --" she started, but her foot slipped and she found herself with nothing to stop her. She almost shrieked. The sensation of absolute emptiness, not feeling anything but the moist air, overtook her for a second, and then two sets of hands grabbed her.

"We've got you," Sokka said. "Don't worry."

She was dangling off the side, Zuko and Sokka held onto her tightly, and pulled her back up. "You're welcome," Zuko said.

"Whatever, let go of me," Toph saId, "So I missed my step --"

"You didn't miss your step," Sokka said, "You kind of missed the step, and all of the ones after it."

Toph stared at the direction of his voice. Even that was hard to tell. The place had an echo so severe she couldn't exactly place where anyone was coming from. She felt, for the first time in her life, as though she were completely in a bubble.

She hated that.

Azula reached the bottom in the meantime, her breathing still rigid and practiced, and her stomach finally settling. She'd still scrape her knees if she fell, but that was nothing. She hopped off the stairs and landed with a small splash. The waterways made ample passage, its decline slight enough that they wouldn't be tripping over themselves in the trail of water left behind.

The air was thick with moisture, it made it hard to breathe.

The others were proceeding carefully down. Yue lifted the hem of her dress up so that she didn't have to fear tripping over herself on the way down, her other hand held against the stone the stairs were cut into, while Sokka carried and protesting Toph piggy-back.

Zuko, at the rear, looking around, constantly scanning the surroundings for something. He was getting paranoid, Azula decided.

"You know," Azula said, "Perhaps Katara had the right idea."

"Not funny!" Sokka said.

"It's unlikely that a waterbender would drown," Azula said, rolling her eyes. "She'd just bend the water out of her way."

"Like it's that easy," Sokka commented. "Toph, you okay?"

"No."

"Super."

"Shut up, Snoozles."

"Okay," Sokka said, and without missing a beat, said, "So, where do you think that kid went?"

Aang, Azula corrected, internally. "Who knows," she said, "He must be trying to lead us somewhere, though."

"Yeah, I was thinking that," Sokka said, "But the thing is, usually it leads us to more of those monsters. That last one was the worst yet."

"I know," Azula said, "But that doesn't explain why he helped me before."

"When was this?" Yue asked.

"When Katara's other-self pulled me under, he helped me find a way out of there," she said, simply, "No matter. We'll find him and simply ask him what he's doing."

"Like it's ever that easy," Toph grumbled. "Are we down yet?"

"Almost," Sokka said.

"Hurry it up."

"Look, those rocks look like they'd hurt, Toph."

"Oh, because I can totally see that --"

"--Didn't mean that --"

"-- I know what you're up to," Toph said,

Toph was getting agitated, Azula noted. This was making things worse. A thought popped into her head, another theory for her to extrapolate on. If she was right, then it would become clear soon. "Let's hurry. Put Toph down, Sokka, and let's go."

"You heard the lady!" Toph shouted.

"Careful, it's slippery," Sokka said, kneeling down to let her dismount. Toph scoffed, and slid down off his back, only to find her footing lost on the uneven floor. She fell with a splash into the remaining water.

Yue stifled back a giggle, before losing it entirely.

"What's so funny!" Toph demanded.

"I'm sorry, Toph, it was just -- he _did _warn you!'

"She's having way too much fun," Zuko muttered, taking the lead, and looking down the waterway, "We should probably be ready for anything. There may be another drop at the end."

"Possible," Azula agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

Katara was being poked.

Yes, that was it. Someone was poking her. "Oh, you're awake!" the person said, with childlike glee, "That's good!"

Katara eyes were too bleary to make out who said that.

She was also being sniffed. She hoped it wasn't by the same person.

"Ming Ming, get away from her. Naughty baby, mama spank," the girl said again. Her footsteps started away, after someone else. Katara rubbed her eyes, looking at the retreating form of a girl. There was a long platform.

Katara shuffled to her feet. "Stupid," she murmured, "Should have known that was going to happen. I was so stupid!"

Not that she could see that the gate was right next to her, admittedly. Acting without sight was harder than it looked. She wondered how Toph did it. She bended out the water that soaked her clothes and looked at the long pool that it had settled in. Not as deep as the first, but it ran a long way. Many waterways connected itno it, some leading in, some out. The pipes seemed thicker here, making it difficult to follow the girl as she grew more distant.

She wished she got a better look at her --

There were voices calling her name. Familiar and welcome voices. "I'm down here! I'm okay!" she shouted back. The voices drew closer much more quickly, now.

"Katara!" Sokka called out, "Wait a second, we'll be right down."

"Oh no you don't!" Toph shouted,

"Like you can swim."

"Oh be quiet, Power Princess."

"I'm just stating the obvious," Azula muttered. "Sokka, carry her."

"Hey, don't just order Sokka to do it!"

"Fine, Zuko, then."

"That's not what I meant."

"Fine, Yue. Stop being picky."

"I hate you so much right now."

In the end, Sokka was the one to pick her up, as he was the first down, with the small girl holding on tight as they landed in the water below. It was a good distance away from the platform. That girl must have pulled her out.

"What took you?" she laughed.

"Problems with the stairs," Sokka said. "Azula's on a power trip, too. Not a good combination."

"She's smirking, I just know it."

Azula landed with the barest of splashes. And she pulled herself out with ease. Yue followed after, a splash large enough to hit Katara. Zuko was last. They pulled themselves up, and looked around.

"So," Sokka said, "Looks like we've got another maze to solve, Gang."

"Fantastic," Azula observed. "At least this one actually has paths we can see. Katara."

"Don't blame me!" Katara said. "I couldn't help it! I bet your maze is going to be worse."

"You assume I'd make one."

"Everyone's got something to hide," Katara said, dangerously.

"Except for Sokka and his lemur, yes, yes," Azula said, waving her hand dismissively.

"There they go again." Yue giggled under her hand, "They're like sisters."

The two of them simultaneously turned to glower at Yue. Their eyes glimmered with a murderous sheen. "Don't compare me with her!"

"You know what," Toph said, after the two of them had turned back at each other, "I think you're right, Yue."

"Guys, seriously don't joke about that," Sokka said. Zuko grunted in solidarity. The pathways were long enough and narrow enough with the pipes running across them that once the two had finished their argument -- and both looking bitterly back at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking -- that the group proceeded single file.

The distant sound of rolling water and the heavy echo of the old stone waterways

"At least there isn't any sand," Azula said, suddenly from the front.

"Are you still going on about that? What do I have to say, that I'm sorry my subconscious is sandy?"

"It's a start, Katara."

"Oh, funny."

"Would you two quit it?" Toph shouted, "It's like ten of you are speaking at once." Azula and Katara stopped, and looked over at Toph. "This place stinks. It's dank, it's moist, the echoes are driving me crazy, and everyone keeps picking me up and carrying me. Is it because I'm small, do you think it's funny that I'm short, anyway?"

"We just want you to be safe, Toph," Katara said.

"Who asked you to look out for me. You're not my mom, Katara."

"I'm sorry," Katara said, quietly. She saw Toph bury her hands in her pockets.

"If I could see, you wouldn't treat me like this."

"Boo!" someone shouted, interupting Toph's rant.

"Hey, Azula, I didn't ask your opinion!" Toph said, pointing accusatorily in a completely random direction, from all appearances. Sokka gently nudged her around.

"Me? Ridiculous," Azula said. "I'd never just jeer."

"Yue?" Toph said, sounding shocked, even a little betrayed.

"It wasn't me, either, I'd never say something so hurtful!"

"I want the two dollies to go back to fighting. That was funny!" the voice said again. "Fight, dollies, fight!"

"Don't look now," Sokka whispered conspiratorially, "But I think we're being watched."

"What gave you that idea, genius?" Azula muttered.

The voice giggled in glee, "Yes! Like that! You're the bestest dolly. I think I'll call you, uh, Mimi!"

"Mimi?" Azula shouted. "Is this some sick idea of a joke. My name is Azula Houou!"

"That's an ugly name. Mimi is cuter!"

"I don't like your tone," Azula scowled. "Show yourself."

"I'm not hiding. I'm right in front of you!"

The mist and steam in front of them made it hard to see, but there was a figure, deep and obscured. She stepped forward, "You've been so much fun, that I just wanted to play with you!"

The girl in front of them was short, with her hair held out of her face by a jade hairband. Everything she wore looked delicate, precious, as if just staring at it could break it. She carried a small stuffed pig, and its floppy wings fell over her thin, pale arms.

"Toph --"

"Yeah?" Toph said.

"Not you," Azula said, waving her hand. "Her."

"Mimi, you're so funny," the other Toph said, her blind eyes closed in a bright, carefree smile. "Will you argue with the nice dolly again? It was so funny! She was all, 'Don't you blame me,' and you were all, 'Yes I will blame you,' and she was all, 'I'm not as bad as you,' and you went, 'No way, I'm ten times better than you,' and she was all, 'Nuh-uh! Nuh-uh!' It was funny!"

"Wait, you're saying that's -- it doesn't even sound like me at all. Except that it does. But that's not important! I don't talk like that."

"And Katara's all like and junk," Yue pointed out.

"Hey, you're only supposed to use logic and reason against Snoozles, Yue!"

"Sorry!"

The other Toph laughed in delight, "You're funny, too! And so pretty! I hope my voice is just as pretty when I grow up!"

"Look, Toph," Katara said, quietly, trying to be reasonable, "Maybe you could just let us out of here."

"You want to leave me?" the other Toph said, scandalized. "But, you're my newest and bestest toys!"

"Oh be quiet!" Toph shouted, "I don't care if you're meant to be me or not, there's no way, no way in the Spirit World or this world, that that came out of me. I'm not a baby!"

The other Toph suddenly squealed into a tantrum, large rivers of tears flowing from her eyes, "You're mean! Meanie dolly! Mama's going to spank you if you don't behave!"

"I'd like to see you try, Prissy-pants."

"Ming-Ming! Ming-Ming!"

The water began to bubble.

"Oh, great, Toph," Sokka said, "Now she's summoning her monsters!"

"Ming-Ming will beat you all!"

She broke off into a run, squealing and shrieking all the way. However, everyone was more focused on the rising bubbles in the basin. "Wonder what it is," Zuko said.

"Don't know," Sokka answered. "Better be prepared for the worst."

Azula and Katara both slid into their stances, and Yue looked perplexed, "It's coming, but --"

Toph frowned, "What is this Ming-Ming anyway? Some cutesy-named octopus-squid?"

"No, I think I see it," Katara said. "It's-- it's --"

It popped its head above the water and turned to look in their direction.

"It's a baby badger-mole," Katara breathed, absolutely stunned. "A badger-mole wearing scuba gear, no less!"

The goggles on its head were ill-fitted for the small creature's head, and they looked more like large bubbles over its face. The breather in its mouth was dropped as soon as it started swimming with its strange flipper-mits. The oxygen tank on its back was fastened with a complex looking harness, which whirred to life as soon as it climbed out of the water.

"Oh, this is too rich," Azula said, smirking, "She called out a little badger-mole to beat us." She laughed, haughtily covering her mouth as she did so.

The harness popped open.

Sokka's jaw dropped, "Correction, Azula, she called out a little badger-mole to beat us, and it's packing heat!" His mind immediately leaped to one course of action, "Someone, protect Zuko!" The large gattling gun positioned itself to the Ming Ming's side, on the other, a rather large cannon extended outwards, weighing the tiny thing to tilt slightly to the right.

Along the bottom, several small rockets were hung, all feeding into a miniaturized launcher.

"Why don't you do it?" Katara asked, still not sure what they were dealing with.

"Because my luck with badgermoles is about the same," Sokka pointed out with calm and educated reason.

"Oh come on, those are just toys," Azula said, taking to the front. "There's no way this little thing can actually do any damage with them."

The gatling gun began to spin up, the whirring sound becoming drowned out by the cascade of bullets firing, The stones around them were peforated with bullet holes that seemed to hit everywhere but their persons.

Then the cannon fired a large concussive shot, blasting the badgermole backwards and knocking the six of them backwards. Sprawled out on the ground, moaning in pain, Sokka turned his head to look at Azula. "Just toys, huh?"

"It missed with its gun, at least," Azula snapped.

"Who gives a badgermole a gun, anyway?" Toph asked. She snarled, "Don't all look at me. I can feel you staring at me!"

"Well, this is all yours," Yue pointed out.

The badgermole cooed as it finally straightened itself out, and detached the large cannon from its side. The harness popped open, and a targetting laser started to scan the group. "Suggestion," Zuko grunted, "Move."

"Duly noted," Azula said, rolling to her feet, "Everyone scatter."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Toph muttered, moving off to the side. The laser hung on her for a second, before moving to another target, scanning Katara and seeming to be pleased with its choice, the badgermole squealed as a large bevy of missiles shot out of the harness.

"Move it, Katara!" Sokka said.

"I'm trying!" Katara said, stumbling away from the missiles, "They're not leaving me alone!"

The badgermole clapped its flippers together, seemingly pleased.

"Someone beat that thing up!" Azula barked. With a gust of wind, she threw the missiles off course. They crashed itno a stone arch, rubble breaking off with the explosion and landing with a loud splash in the basin.

Ming Ming squealed in delight at the sound of the explosion and more guns emerged from its harness. The gatling gun fired off more bullets in a random stream, more went flying across the misty expanse wildly. Ming Ming again fell off balance, tipping over and stopping the whirring of the gun.

Zuko struck fast, severing the magazine belt from the gun with one slice, and the gun with the next. The pieces went tumbling to the ground, and Ming Ming squeaked. "Nice one, Zuko!" Yue cheered. "You really showed him!"

Zuko grinned, feeling confident. "Now, for you," he said. Ming Ming's squeaked. From the harness, a series of bright red flares shot out. Zuko, stunned, stumbled backwards, blinded. Ming Ming did not waste any time. Leaping back under the water and emerging again swimming just above the surface.

"I've never seen a badgermole swim before," Azula muttered. "You're crazy, Toph, I'm convinced."

"Shut up! This totally isn't my fault!"

The badgermole squeaked out something in a jovial tune, and rockets fired off out of the water. They collided with the arches above the group, sending rubble and debris down on top of them. "Move it!" Azula said, "Get Toph, Katara."

Katara wasted no time dragging Toph out of the way while she protested loudly.

Ming Ming seemed to laugh at the sound of destruction. "I'm so glad that thing's blind," Sokka said. "I don't think I'd want to deal with someone who could aim."

Zuko wasn't so convinced, "It's trying to force us down the passage."

"That's bad?" Sokka asked.

"We've been going single-file the whole way," Azula pointed out, "Makes it so he doesn't need to aim."

"Oh, that's bad."

Another cannon emerged from the harness, centering itself atop Ming Ming's back, and the badgermole climbed out to follow the group, climbing over the rubble and tumbling down from them with clumsy grace. "If it weren't trying to kill us, I'd think it was very cute," Yue commented.

"Thanks for the feedback," Toph said.

"You're welcome, Toph. If it's any consolation, I am personally enjoying this place much more than Katara's."

"Well, duh."

"Would everyone please stop complaining about that! It's not my fault!" Katara shouted.

"Everyone focus," Azula said. "And get behind me."

"What are you going to do?" Yue wondered.

She reached for her gun's harness. "If it wants a showdown, I'm more than happy to oblige it."

"And they say I'm macho," Sokka commented.

The cannon began to glow with a red heat from deep within. Azula grabbed her gun and drew it, aiming carefully. "What are you waiting for? Do something!" Toph shouted.

Azula narrowed her eyes. The light was growing more intense. She began to count down from five, slowly.

"Azula, it's going to blast us if you don't hurry," Sokka added.

Three to go, she said, she could feel the heat through the muggy air. Azula's finger trembled against the trigger. She had to be patient.

"Azula? Please?" Katara added, starting to feel nervous as the light was now bright enough to cut through the mist.

One, and -- "Bang." She fired the gun. The bullet flying straight into the cannon as it started to fire. It took a second for Ming Ming to register what had just happened and it desperately squealed as it did, trying to throw off its harness.

But the overload was already too far blast from the cannon as it backfired knocked all of them to the floor, and when they looked, Ming Ming was no longer standing, with just a heat mark at the center of the blast with a shape like a badgermole cut out of it.

"That was, uh, unexpected," Katara said, helpfully.

"Hm," Azula said, "Let's continue."

As they continued, Toph smirked, "Even if this is mine," she said, aloud, "At least everyone likes it better than Katara's."

Katara's shriek of frustration echoed deep into the abyss.

_To be continued._

_Author's Note: Ming Ming is the greatest thing I have ever created. Ever. __**Ever**__._


	13. Forgotten Toys

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Voltatile man, I got a game that I play. I thought you might like the way I destruct everywhere I lay my hands."_

_- Mass Destruction - Reincarnation-_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 12: ** _Forgotten Toys_

They traveled the maze of echoes, sounds replaying over and over endlessly, like the quiet roar of thunder in the distance, carved out of ancient stone, water everywhere, dripping, coursing, crashing like a waterfall into deep pools of water, still and deep.

"We've totally been here," Sokka pointed out.

The group grumbled. Each repeating their own exasperations aloud, creating more din in the air. "I'm so sorry," Yue said, over the noise, "I thought for sure we hadn't gone that way."

"It's not your fault," Katara said. "We're all a little disoriented."

"We may as well take a break," Azula said, "We need to figure out where we go from here."

They sat around in a tight circle, a bottle of water passed between them as they quietly shared in each other's company. "It's so hard to see here," Zuko commented.

"I can't see at all," Toph muttered, "Don't hear me whining."

"Well, this is your part of the maze," Katara pointed out, "Maybe that's why we're all sort of lost."

"Oh, so it's my fault now?"

"I didn't say that, Toph."

"You sure implied it, Sweetness."

Despite the roar of echoes, the waterways are otherwise quiet, nothing except their voices brush past the white noise, and the feeling of solitude grew stronger. Azula tapped her fingers against the ground. Real, solid, course stone with nicks and cracks from age and use, and yet in reality, not at all.

It was becoming harder and harder to reconcile the reality and what was laid out around them, it was like a set in a movie, constructed to trap them in another world, and yet --

And yet, and yet, the mysteries piled up faster than she could sift thorugh them. What was this place, what created it, why did Aang run from them, and what purpose did this all serve. Everything had purpose, after all, it was only logical.

"You got something to share, Azula?" Zuko asked, his eyes focused on her. She shook her head. There really wasn't anything to add.

"Then we should get moving," he continued.

"Right, maybe we should split up and see what we can find."

"I don't think that's going to matter," Yue said. "I'm certain now, we've tried every path. This maze circles around, it doesn't matter which path we take."

"So where do we go?" Toph muttered.

"Down," Yue said, slowly, "Yes, definitely, we must go down."

"You're sure?"

"I can feel it. We need to go down."

Katara frowned, "Well, I can maybe bend us some air, but I know I can't just bend the water out of the way."

"So we need to lower the water levels," Sokka answered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "So that's how it's got to be. Just like before, but this time I've got an idea."

"Oh?"

"Safest way down is to lower the water level and be in the water while we do it," Sokka said, "That way, when the water goes down, we float with it. Simple, right?"

"It's a good idea!" Yue cheered, "Way to go, Sokka!"

"Hey, statistically speaking, one of them has to be," Toph said. "Okay, let's do it. Dive right in and get out of here!"

"Well, where do we do that?" Katara asked.

"That I do not know," Sokka said, hanging his head. "Okay, so it's a work in progress plan, but it's a plan, at least!"

"There , there. You almost had it," Yue said, supportively.

The echoes shuddered with a great noise as in the distance, gears moaned to life, rust protesting the action with every heaving groan. As the noise reached a crescendo, the sounds, closer than before, grew louder in response. The water roared, and the pool slowly began to recede.

"Did someone just open one of the gates?" Sokka said, haltingly, "Someone out there likes me!"

"We should hop in, if we're going to test your little idea," Azula said, hastily, and Sokka recomposed himself, diving into the water and he rocked ever so gently with the tide. "Hm, seems you're not being sucked in. That's good."

"Wait, you were using me as a test subject?" Sokka said, blinking the disbelief out of his eyes, he turned to the rest, "I kind of expected that from Azula, but the rest of you?"

"Better you than us, Snoozles!"

"I don't know how I feel about that."

"Your theory, your risk," Azula said, hopping in. The quick succession of splashes followed, with Toph gripping onto Zuko for dear life, much to the older boy's chagrin. The flow of water out of the pool lowered the water level considerably, and a massive walkway peeked out from underneath the murk. The water flowed down off its shape, casting its image vague as a shadow as it emerged.

"Hey!" Sokka cheered, "See? My idea totally worked. All it took was some, I don't know, let's call it divine intervention."

"So you claim," Azula said, and she climbed up onto the walkway. "Well, more to explore."

She walked forward only a few steps before she stopped. There was a large break in the walkway, and floating right above it was a strange doorway. These doors, familiar and yet alway unusual, lingered just above the walkway, water dripping slowly off its varnished frame.

"Well, well, well," Azula said, "We finally found one."

"Found what?" Toph asked.

"There's a door," Yue said, patiently, "Just like the ones the others saw."

"Yeah," Sokka said, "When we went through them, we went back to when that accident happened. Zuko sat down and spoke with you for a bit, Katara."

"Shut up, Sokka," Zuko grumbled.

"It was cute! Come on!"

"I don't remember Zuko coming back in time to talk to me," Katara responded. "Wait, didn't I -- I should remember where I was that night, but I'm blanking."

"Yes," Yue said, "The same thing happened with me."

"Do you remember the time you and Azula got into a fight? Because that was cool!" Toph asked, pumping her fist in the air like she was throwing a hook.

"I do, but, Azula, do you remember what happened after the fight was broken up?" Katara asked, her voice shifting and her face etched with concern. "It's all a big blank to me."

"No, I don't," Azula said, simply. "I don't remember a lot of things, however. You claim I went crazy and fought you on top of the Tower, and I don't remember that at all."

"Okay, super creepy," Sokka said.

"Well, no use standing around," Azula said, waving her hand, "Shall we?"

"I don't know, there won't be any monsters in there this time, right?" Sokka asked.

Zuko smacked him across the back of the head, "Just get going."

"Ow, that really hurt me in the feelings, Zuko."

The door swung open, creaking as its rusted joints protested. Azula stepped through, and the rest followed. Toph hesitated, "Where does this thing even go to?" she asked, fumbling around, looking for the door.

No one answered.

"Guys? This isn't funny." Her hand waved through the door as it carried away through the mist. "Hey, someone say something! Real funny, Snoozles, really." Upon further bellowing and some enraged shouting, she came to a conclusion.

"They totally ditched me."

"Ready, men?"

The tinny voice came from -- somewhere, but Toph couldn't be sure if it was behind her or to her right. Still, it seemed close, even if it was rather quiet. The voice continued, carried on an echo, "Prepare the nets! Onward! For glory!"

"What the --" she was bowled over by the first tin soldier landing on her chest carrying with it a length of rope, which he then tugged. The next one pinned her down, carrying the other end of the rope and using it to quickly fasten her to the ground.

"Pick up the pace, men!" Toph was busily trying to throw off the ropes when more landed, carrying even more pieces of rope which they proceeded to weave like a net over top of her. For rigid statues with barely any mobility, the acted like an elite commando unit, tying her to the ground before she could react.

"Get offa me! What's the big idea!"

"Yay! Yay yay yay!" a voice cheered, happily clapping, "My toy soldiers are so wonderful!"

"You?" Toph shouted out, accusatory. The voice of her doppleganger got closer, almost like she was staring her in the face. "What are you doing here?"

"Playing War! Isn't that a fun game? You're one army, they're another army, and I'm an arms dealer. Since, you know, no one wins in war except the people selling weapons. I sold them the rope. Isn't that neat?"

"You're crazy."

The other Toph giggled, "You're such a silly dolly."

"I'm not a doll!" She paused. "You're -- you're supposed to be me, right?"

The voice she responded in was strange, almost completely different and lacking that childlike excitement, "That's right!"

"Well, uh," she knew what she had to do. She saw Yue and Katara do it before, it's easy. "I -- I --"

"Yes?"

"I accept you." Toph sighed. That was easier than she expected it to be. Any second now her friends would show up and they'd get out of this crazy maze and leave it all far behind them. It was the perfect plan.

Except something seemed wrong. Before, the other selves would react quietly, happy to be accepted and given a measure of peace. Toph's duplicate instead started to stomp her feet angrily like a petulant child denied her favorite toy, "Liar! Liar! Penalty game! I call a penalty game!"

"What are you--" Toph managed to say before something was thrown in her mouth by a toy commando.

"We're going to play a little game, okay?" the other Toph said. Her tone made it clear that there was no choice.

* * *

In direct contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the waterways, where even the air seems full and soggy, the place that the door opened into was cool, a temperate spring day at a building far too familiar.

The school, their school, alive with the bright buds of spring, carrying pollen and the excitement of a brand new school year with it. From the corner of her eye, Azula caught a glimpse of the two girls, first years, gossipping by the tree, casting looks forlornly at the passing crowd. Perhaps someone will return the glance, but for now, they continue alone, talking but not looking at each other in a funny ritual.

Traveling through time never settled well. "Well, great," Sokka said, "This time it isn't a complete and total mess."

"Do you ever stop complaining." Zuko's voice, dry as always, cuts off as he grin.

"Zuko, please, you've known me for almost an entire year now, you _know_ I always complain. It's like the main thing I bring to the group dynamic."

"I don't even want to know what everyone else brings to it --" Zuko said, then cut himself off, looking around, "Where's Toph?"

"She's not here," Yue answered.

Toph's absence is felt even stronger as silenced descended. "Well, wonderful," Azula said, boredly, "And here I was hoping we could stay together as a group for once in our short lives."

"We do seem to have a problem with that," Katara added, weakly.

Clenching her jaw shut, Azula moved forward. There had to be a way out, and like always, it would probably be found along with the person who created the door in the first place, and that meant finding Toph Bei Fong.

In this case, the Toph Bei Fong who would be starting her first year at the Phoenix School. "Zuko, Yue, stay out of sight. Don't try and draw attention to yourselves. I don't want to risk affecting something if we don't have to."

"Whatever," Zuko grumbled. He didn't look too pleased.

"Let's go have a talk with Miss Bei Fong, then."

Azula led Katara and Sokka off, leaving Yue and Zuko hanging awkwardly around the rapidly less crowded front gate. They looked out of place, just staring at the crowds and Yue alternately fidgetted and tapped her toe.

Zuko glowered menacingly at her after about a minute had passed. This put an end to her nervous tics, but gave him a new threat with which to contend: conversation. "So, Zuko."

"Yes?"

"Uh," she looked around and finally said, "Lovely weather this time of year, yes?"

"Sure."

"We don't talk much. Are you still seeing that nice girl of yours --"

"Yeah."

"That's good! Uh, how is she?"

"Bored."

"That's --"

"That's normal," he filled in for her.

"Oh." A brief pause, and a deep breath in, "Good."

He cast his eye around the front gate, noticing the last few stragglers getting in. "We should be okay now. Let's give them a minute to get to their classes and then go inside. Feels weird just standing around."

"Won't the teachers' want us in class?"

"Never bothered me before," Zuko said. He took one more look around the gated yard, before freezing. "Don't move, don't draw attention to yourself."

"Um, okay," Yue said, standing perfectly still.

"You're drawing attention to yourself!" he hissed.

"S, sorry!" she stuttered, and then peeked at the gate, "What's gotten you so shook up?"

"Don't look," he said through his teeth, "She'll notice you."

"Who'll notice me?" she wondered, standing on her toes to look over Zuko's shoulders. "Oh, isn't that Mai?"

"I don't want her to see me."

"Zuko?"

"She saw you," Yue said, matter of factly, "Zuko, I think you may need a few lessons at being stealthy."

He shuddered, visibly.

"Zuko, what are you doing here. I thought you quit," Mai asked, approaching with Ty Lee behind her. She seemed to be waving energetically to say hello without interrupting.

"I did," he said, "I just wanted to -- uh --"

"Make sure that I got here safely. I got totally lost and ended up, uh --"

"-- in my neck of the woods. Nearly got herself in trouble with some of the local idiots who think everyone who isn't born in Ba Sing Se should be kicked out."

"Yes, exactly!" Yue said.

"Who's she?" Mai asked. The look she gave Yue was almost as sharp as one of the knives she kept on her person almost all the time. Yue's eyes lingered on Mai's sleeves -- as a precaution, nothign more.

"Me? Oh, I'm new."

"No one special."

"Right, no one at all," Yue said.

"Where's her uniform?" Mai asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Yue whispered as quietly as she could to Zuko, "We need to work on not being suspicious all the time."

Zuko could only nod.

"Well, princess?" Mai asked, crossing her arms.

"Maybe she just forgot it, or didn't get it in time," Ty Lee suggested.

"Yes, both of those," Yue said very quickly.

"That doesn't make any sense," Mai said.

"Sure it does!" Yue and Ty Lee chirped in simultaneously. They stared at each other for a brief moment afterwards, until Zuko interrupted.

"I told you I was just helping her, Mai." He settled his eye on her, "Is there a reason why you're making such a big deal about all this."

The tides turned. "What? Why am I -- that's none of your business, Zuko," she answered, harshly. "Look, fine, whatever, she was lost. Okay, not like I care."

"But Mai, you do care --"

"I do not care, Ty Lee. Let's get going. I'm sure the principal's got some rousing speech to give and I could use the nap." She stomped off, a tad too indignant for someone who didn't remotely care, but no one called attention to it.

Once the two of them were gone, Zuko slumped his shoulders, "I don't believe that worked."

Yue just smiled, and resumed fidgetting nervously. Zuko didn't bother to stop her this time.

* * *

"Miss Bei Fong was called to see Chairman Zhao this morning, actually," the secretary in the faculty office said, looking over her notes for the day quickly, "He insisted she come in before the assembly this morning, and wanted to go over something with her."

"I remember this," Katara said, "When I started here, Zhao had a long talk to me about some things that didn't make any sense until I found out about, well, the club."

Azula nodded. It was customary that students with potential be screened for their usefulness, and the likelihood that they'd be able to actually bend. The exception being the transfer student that came middle of the year -- things moved a bit too quickly for customary interviews.

"Still, isn't it weird that he waited until today?" Sokka asked.

"Not really," the secretary said, "Miss Bei Fong only enrolled yesterday. The President cut through the red tape, I guess. There's been no time for an interview."

"No kidding. I'll go speak to Zhao, I have some words for him."

"Of course, but, don't you have to prepare?"

"Prepare for what?" Azula asked, bristling. What had she forgotten about today.

The secretary seemed bemused more than anything, "Why, if I got elected Student Council President, I'd have stayed up all night practicing my speech."

Azula grimaced, "I'll be fine. I'm sure everything will turn out just fine."

"Oh, yeah, the speech," Sokka said, grinning, "Isn't that the one Principal Che stole wholesale?"

"Sokka! Not so loud!" Katara hissed. Sokka looked back at the secretary, but she didn't seem to have heard him. Relieved, he continued, walking in time with Azula as she picked up the pace, desperate to leave him behind.

"What's so wrong about the speech?"

"Don't you remember?" Azula asked, a bit peevish, casting a glare back at Sokka as she picked up into a light dash. "It was a disaster."

"You stunned the student body into quiet, polite applause, that's no mean feat," Katara pointed out.

As a fact, she had spent the entire night practicing the speech, memorizing and rememorizing, tweaking ever so subtly and trying to keep it at a brisk ten minutes. The speech ran for nine minutes and thirty-eight seconds, due in no small part to an entire paragraph she had forgotten. Not only that, but it was in retrospect a very important paragraph.

She couldn't just admit that aloud, though.

Better to keep leading the merry chase, "We need to speak to Zhao, not worry about some speech that I hardly even remember."

"I know you, Azula," Katara said, teasingly, "You remember every word to that speech."

"So what if I do? It isn't important right now."

"So where are we going, anyway?" Sokka asked, mercifully dropping the subject when he realized he wasn't exactly sure where they were walking. The clubrooms lined the halls of the auxilary building to the school.

The sound of a lonely trombone was the only accompaniment that received in that hall.

"Zhao likes to take students to the clubrooms when the faculty office is full, and since the secretary's busy taking care of morning review,"

"So find which room he's using, gotcha," Sokka said. He began to pull at one of the doors, pulling until he nearly popped his arm out of his socket. "This one's locked," he said after a moment, resting his arms limply at his sides.

"No, really," Katara said, between giggles. "Let's try knocking, Sokka, before you scare someone half to death."

"Yeah, okay, sounds good," Sokka said, trying to recover his cool mystique as if he hadn't even missed a beat. The girls stared at him for a minute before shaking their heads and proceeding to knock on every classroom door as they went. "Hey, wait up!"

It was Sokka who knocked on the right door. Muffled, he could hear someone say something to another person before raising his voice loud enough to be heard. "Who is it?"

"Uh, Chairman Zhao, sir? I'm Sokka Floes, we needed to speak with you for a moment?"

The door opened, and the stern chairman appeared larger than he remembered in the doorframe, his face a carefully kept neutral expression. "What is it? I'm in the middle of an important interview that I don't have long to finish."

"Hey, you can hold me as long as you need, I don't want to sit around and listen to some prissy prom queen go on for hours about how she's so happy to be our student class president."

"Prissy prom queen?" Azula repeated, the words positively alien to her. "What is she implying?"

"That you're a prissy prom queen," Sokka said, shrugging, "Duh."

"Miss Houou, to what do I owe the honors?" Zhao said, his neutral expression shifting to an insincere smile. How wonderful, Azula thought, to have power and influence enough to make men sycophants.

"That girl you're interviewing has the potential, doesn't she? Why wasn't I informed?"

"I don't know what you mean," he said, carefully, "President Ozai requested that I take care of his close, personal friend's daughter and help her transition into a new school."

""And it gets me out of class!" Toph cheered from behind them.

"Quite," he said, clearly unimpressed, "So, Miss Houou, is there something less -- delicate you needed?"

Azula leaned close, and whispered something in his ear. Sokka and Katara couldn't pick it up, and stared mystified as Zhao's face turned blue and he said, quickly, "Let's speak about this somewhere more private."

"What did she say?" Katara asked, stunned.

"I'll tell Father," Toph said, shrugging as though it were clear.

"As big a creep as Zhao was," Sokka said, "Even he doesn't deserve that kind of threat." Katara shook her head, clearly in agreement at the sentiment.

Zhao unlocked the room next door and stepped inside, followed by Azula. He stared at her a second, and then, quickly, asked, "Where did you hear about Miss Bei Fong?"

"Is that important? I have sources, my dear Chairman, you know that." She grinned. It felt good to exercise power over the sniveling brown-noser. He was more than willing to bend over backwards if it meant he'd get a bigger office. "Listen, Zhao, one way or another, I'm going to find out. You know that. So that begs the question, why wasn't I informed?"

That was the big question. Even now, she couldn't figure out why he would risk hiding such a clearly powerful Earthbender from her father or herself. The only possibilities she had seemed contradictory. Zhao had his own plans, she remembered clearly the incident on Lake Laogai and what he had attempted to do there, behind her father's back.

"The President asked me to," Zhao said, all too smoothly. "A personal favor. We didn't want to deal with the ruckus the Bei Fongs could easily afford to make over putting their child into harm's way."

"But they wouldn't know," Azula pointed out.

"Until such time she came to visit with a big scar from a nasty spirit," Zhao said, "These creatures are unpredictable, there's no accounting for what could happen. President Ozai just thought it prudent to assure the Bei Fong's continued contributions to the school's funds."

"You'd better not be hiding anything else from me," Azula warned. "And I'll know, too. I'm good like that."

"No offense, Miss Houou, as much as I enjoy playing babysitter, it works the other way around. You work under my supervision."

"Until you finally slip up so bad Father can't cover for you, at any rate," Azula said, biting back her distaste at dealing with this opportunist.

"Maybe so," Zhao said. "But maybe not. We'll see, Miss Houou. Now if you'll excuse me --"

"She's a powerful bender. You know that, of course."

"Maybe I do," Zhao said, levelly, "But it doesn't matter, because as I said, President Ozai has given the order to disregard any potential the girl has."

Azula frowned. Was she losing her touch? Had Zhao just gotten the better of her? She hesitated, before finally coming to a conclusion. If she was going to break this fragment of time, she was going to do it spectacularly.

She rushed after Zhao, and looked to her companions before speaking to Toph, "Miss Bei Fong, a second."

"Miss Houou," Zhao warned, "Need I remind you what we just discussed?"

"Of course not, Chairman, I just wanted to say something," she said, approaching Toph, "Prissy prom queen? Really?"

"Oh, so you don't think it fits? How about -- Dragonbreath!" she grinned.

"Typical. A first year with a juvenile sense of humor," Azula said. "That one hit me right where it counts -- oh, and since you're blind, I should tell you: I'm rolling my eyes."

Toph frowned. "Yeah, doesn't stop your breath from stinking."

"What are you doing, Azula?" Katara asked, spellbound.

"I'm just discussing with Miss Bei Fong the merits of good attitude, shortly."

"Shorty?" Toph bristled.

"Oh, does your height bother you? I guess having everyone use you as an armrest can get somewhat tiresome."

"Azula Houou, I will write you up for your disrespectful behavior."

Consequences? This wasn't real -- at least, she didn't think so. It didn't matter if she got written up or not, her father wouldn't allow it. Zhao's hands were tired before he even began. "Also, being blind, how do you dress yourself every morning?"

"Shut up!" Toph said, taking a swing at Azula. "I don't know who you think you are."

Azula deflty moved to the side. "Yes? So what? Going to throw a temper tantrum?"

Toph stomped the ground with a spectacular quake "Don't make me have to hurt you, Spice Girl."

"Azula, you can stop now," Sokka said, weakly, "Don't make her use her magic earthbending to bring the entire club building down on our heads."

"Actually, that was the plan," Azula said, "Unless Zhao would like to be upfront with us about this."

Toph seemed a bit surprised, gently tapping her foot against the floor, the odd coincidence of the shockwave and her foot colliding with the ground seemed too convenient to her. "What just happened?"

"Bending," Azula said, "You did that, Toph."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Zhao said before turning a nasty glare onto Azula, "Miss Houou is just playing around with her fantasy club like a little girl with a new toy." He hissed at her, bringing his face close to hers, "Do you think you can scare me? There's no way that quake was at all connected with that girl, even if she has the potential. She'd need training to be able to do that."

"Would she? Well, if you're willing to play that gamble," Azula said, turning to Toph, "Miss Bei Fong, I'm awfully sorry about appearing so rude before, I just wanted to test something, and you passed brilliantly."

"What the -- is this some kind of joke? Is everyone in this room crazy?"

"Don't look at me," Sokka and Katara said simultaneously, helpless to stop Azula.

Azula smirked, "Crazy? No. You have the potential, Toph, just like me." She cast a sidelong glance at Zhao, "A bender who has this amount of power without any sort of training, that's a rare thing." The only thing rarer is the Airbender that would be joining their ranks in a few months, she wanted to add, but bit her tongue.

"Miss Houou," he roared dangerously.

"You want proof, I understand,' Azula said, looking at Toph, "I just so happen to know the forms by memory. Old scrolls and the like," she lied, she just remembered how Toph did it. Focus and control, Earthbending was about never allowing anything to stop you.

"I'll play along," Toph said, grinning, "But if you're lying, you'd better be prepared to pay up."

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes at Toph's childishness. "Now, bend your back a little bit more, and keep your legs spread out. Very good."

"Got it. Now what."

"Focus on the ground, make sure it moves, not you," she said.

"Azula, what's the big idea?" Katara said, taking a place in the doorframe, "Are you trying to kill us?"

"I just want to prove Zhao wrong," she answered, looking smugly at Toph, "Now give it a good stomp and twist your foot to the side."

So, almost five months before she even knew Spirits existed, before she knew she could bend, Toph Bei Fong brought her foot down in a fundamental Earthbending stomp. However, the cracks were already there, under her feet, and as they connected, everything stopped.

Zhao's eyes wide in shock, Toph's brash and honest grin, the bugs that were flying through the room -- they hadn't noticed them until now.

It was like watching a glass pane shatter, smaller pieces in the center, spiraling outwards larger and larger, distorting the time frozen image around them.

"That was immensely satisfying, for some reason," Azula said, stretching. She looked at Katara and Sokka, who were paler than usual. "What?"

"You're nuts!" Sokka shouted.

* * *

The abruptness of the change started them. Outside the school, Yue had begun to watch the clouds to pass the time when the sky turned gray and the clouds froze in the air. Long lines and cracks aside, the place looked more like a snapshot now than a living, breathing world. But, weirder still, it took a blink of the eye for the change to take hold.

"They must have done something," Zuko concluded. "Great."

Yue hesitated, "What's going on?"

"Apparently changing the past causes things like this to happen," he muttered, "I don't know why, but it happened the first time I went through one of these doors, too."

"Frightening," Yue said, "I can feel something, something terrible."

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, looking over at her.

"Whatever happened," she said, "It's full of so much energy, like a supernova."

"That doesn't sound good," Zuko concluded. "Look, we better warn Azula. Let's find her and get out of here."

"Oh, yes. I know where they are," she said, helpfully. "Follow me!" She swung open the door and stopped, her eyes widening in surprise at what she saw. "Zuko, I don't think this is a good sign at all."

Through the cracks in the school, pipes and steam shot out, the cool, blue light of the waterways mixing in with the frozen world around them. "This is new."

The drinking fountains were jutting out steam as they passed by, moving from one shattered fragment to another by leaping past the steam hot pipes. The heat they exuded seemed to help coalesce the mist that seeped in from the gaps, making the surroundings shimmering silver and monochrome.

It was getting worse the closer they came, and something was peeking through the holes, its fingers looming like shadows at the edges, vanishing whenever they got close enough to see, and reappearing just like so in the distance.

Zuko was on edge, expecting anything.

As they approached the covered path to the next building, the shadow finally took on shape. the only distinguishing characteristic was the bright blue eyes that lit up through the deep churning shadows around him.

"It's him," Yue said. "That boy --"

"Aang, or so Azula thinks," Zuko said. He stood forward, hovering protectively in front of Yue, and he shouted, "Who are you!"

The shadow just nodded in acknowledgement before turning towards the activities building. "He's not going to attack us," Yue said.

"But is it really Aang?"

"I don't know," Yue said, hesitant to make any conclusions, but she added, as confused by her certainty as he was, "I think it must be."

"That just raises more questions," Zuko grunted.

"Just like old times."

"I hate old times," Zuko muttered, and Yue laughed. "Come on, let's follow him."

"Whatever you say!"

* * *

"What did you do!"

"Oh, hello, Zuzu," Azula said, waving her hand, "I've found a door back to the maze, I think we should probably return and find Toph as soon as possible. Who knows what trouble she's gotten herself into while we've been gone."

Zuko looked tense, but before he could say anything, Yue interjected, "You didn't happen to see Aang around here, too?"

"No, I haven't," Azula said, furrowing her brow, "Why?"

"I think we saw him," Yue said, "Just now. He headed into this building and vanished."

The walls of the building were pretty much floating around them, but a passage carrying water down into the endless expanse seemed to lead to a door below. The entire building looked shattered. "This is worse than before," Zuko said. "Last time, things at least moved. Don't try and avoid the issue."

"I'm not," Azula said, "I just don't have any comments. I simply allowed things to proceed differently. It's not as though it matters, yes?"

"I'm not so certain," Yue said, weakly.

"What was that?" Azula arched her brow and Yue shrunk back, mousish under Azula's sharp glance.

"I'm just not sure that's right," she said, "I think there's something else at work here, Azula. We shouldn't be so careless."

"She's got a point," Katara said, "I don't think we've frozen everything before. Usually they don't notice."

Azula sighed, "What's done is done. But your warning is duly noted, Yue."

"Thanks, Azula," Yue said.

"So we shouldn't just stand around here and worry about how we'll go back home and find the human race enslaved by lemurs or something. We've got more immediate things to worry about, like how bad Toph's going to kick our butts for ditching her," Sokka pointed out, sagely.

Azula took a step onto the waterway, finding the water current relaxed, if a bit soggy on her socks. She'd deal with that later. "Come on then, we don't have all day."

"Yes, Princess," Sokka said, bowing in mocking reverence. The look Azula gave him would stop a clock.

"Oh, Sokka," Yue said, "I didn't know you and Azula were so familiar."

She received a double dose of glaring for her comment. "Just... go," Zuko muttered through his hands.

Azula approached the door and it opened up. Just as she was about to turn around, a loud rumble like thunder stopped her. "Not again," she muttered, "Hurry!" The wave of water came upon them quickly, and they all leapt through the door.

Landing, again, with a splash, amongst the waterways and passages. The water flowed from the door into the pool before dying down into a light trickle.

"Ow," Sokka said, "My belly."

"Well, that was invigorating," Azula muttered, looking around, "Let's find someplace dry and plan our next move."

The water bobbed slowly as they swam through the pool, looking for some sign of land. Yue awkwardly trailed them, her feet getting tangled up in the hem of her dress every so often, forcing her to kick free.

"Really should have brought swimsuits," Sokka pointed out, "Next time we set out in a mysterious maze, remind me to bring my swim trunks."

"I'd rather not," Zuko grunted.

"Whoa, wave pool," Katara yelped in surprise as the water bobbed increasingly choppy. "Wonder what's going on."

The mist was thick, but in the distance, a shape could be made out, cutting through the waves ever so slowly towards them. It was rounded, massive, and floating on top of the water. "What is that?" Katara wondered, swimming closer. "Guys? Do you see that?"

"Yeah?" Sokka squinted, as if that would make things clearer in the mist. "It kind of looks like --"

And with a low, menacing rumble, the shape spoke one, simple word.

"Quack."

_To be continued._

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delays. This chapter went under a big revision JUST as I was putting on the finishing touches. It may make this section a little long in the tooth, but hopefully that doesn't become the case._

_Also, enjoy your cliffhanger. I couldn't resist._


	14. Child's Play

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Too smooth to see that I sting like a bee, like Muhammed Ali. Champion of champions will not defeat. Came up to beat the enemy at large, but tonight let us take a break back to kids in go-carts."_

_- Mass Destruction - Reincarnation-_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 13: **_Child's Play_

"It said quack," Katara repeated for them.

"Yes, it most certainly did," Azula agreed. "It looks like a giant turtle duck."

Sokka added, "A rubber turtle ducky."

And indeed it was. In fact, it was a giant, yellow, rubber turtle duck. "Well, I never," Katara said, "This is certainly unsual."

"Well, at least it's just a rubber turtle ducky," Azula said, "Zuzu used to have one to play in the tub when he was younger."

"Hey!" Zuko shouted, "What's the big idea, Azula?"

"Aw, little Zuzu with a rubber turtle ducky," Katara cooed, between fits of laughter, "Dat's adowable!"

"Can we focus on the giant rubber thing slowly bobbing towards us, please?" Zuko said, before sinking beneath the water to hide the blush on his face.

"Oh, what's the worst it can do?" Azula asked as the explosions went off behind her, somehow killing the mood with comedic timing. The pool became a tempest of confusion, explosions pushing up waves, waves hurtling everyone around the pool, the tides pulling them under.

Azula could hardly see underneath the water, even as her eyes adjusted.

Something round, brightly colored, like a beach ball, floated up towards her, brushing against her shoulder. Cold, plastic and smooth, it hovered for a second. It expanded, violently, like someone trying to claw their way free from inside, until it burst.

There was no explosion, no shrapnel lodging in her skin, but the pressure of the explosion forced her deeper. It seemed almost tame, her imagination swirling with ideas, seeing vividly the horrors that could have been.

But now, slowly stopping beneath the waves, things came into focus.

There, out of the corner of her eye, another one of those things, and another below her and above her. She floated in the midst of a minefield.

The bottom of her foot brushed against another floating mine. There was another explosion of air and she was thrown further into the minefield. She couldn't figure which way was up, she was disoriented, and too frightened to move.

And she was starting to feel a desperate need to breathe.

* * *

The others weren't faring much better. Sokka climbed desperately to the surface and emerged, staring the turtle ducky right in its plastic breast. The low rumbling, "Quack," shook the water, and it bobbed up and down, pushing the water out around it.

Torpedoes, depth charges, Sokka didn't know which it launched, but the water burst up in another set of large explosions. The rest of the surface seemed devoid of life, it was only him and the duck.

"Great," he muttered, knowing full well no one could hear him. He took a deep breath and dove underwater.

He could barely see, but there was Yue and Zuko, with Yue desperately helping him up to the surface, moving as best as she could restricted by her flowing attire. He couldn't see Azula, or Katara.

He wasn't letting them die on him.

He rushed over to Yue, taking Zuko's other arm and pulling him and her up to the surface. Zuko seemed to devour the oxygen when he came up. Yue, trying to maintain her dignity, barely witheld from doing the same thing. "What happened?"

"Mines," Zuko grunted. "Something like it. The place is littered with them."

"Quack."

"And that thing's about to do something again, wonderful," Sokka shouted. "Can't we ever meet something helpful? You know, 'Hi, I see you're looking for the exit. Follow me!' and then we go to the exit and leave. That would be my ideal maze."

"Tell me about it," Zuko grumbled.

More explosions followed, and the giant Turtle Ducky moved slowly forward. "Can't even get close to it," Sokka continued, "And I don't see Katara or Azula anywhere."

"Katara was going the other way," Yue answered, "She's looking for Azula."

"Where is Azula?"

She looked down at the water.

"How deep?" Sokka needled, looking anxious.

"Very deep."

"How deep is very deep?" he asked. He was fully aware that the answer wouldn't be good.

"Thirty-five feet, and getting deeper," she answered, "And Katara was swimming right into the minefield after her."

"We got to go after them," he said.

"I know how you feel," Zuko retorted, a scowl on hsi face, "But we don't need to risk anyone else. Katara can handle it, we'd only get in her way."

Sokka clenched his hands tightly into a fist.

"We need to trust Katara," Yue said, reaching for his hand, "Right now, we should try and stop that, that dreadfully testing thing."

He relaxed his fists, and turned his attention completely to the Rubber Turtle Ducky Warship, or whatever he would call it when he decided on a name. "You're right. But we need a plan. We can't attack it head on without getting blown up."

"Then we flank it," Zuko answered. "Between the two of us, one of us should be able to get through."

"Good luck, Sokka. Be careful, Zuko," Yue bowed her head, "I wish I could do more."

"Keep an eye on Katara," Sokka answered, "If something happens, we have to act fast. I'm not letting anyone else --"

He couldn't finish his thought, but Zuko knew exactly what he meant. "Let's go."

Throwing themselves at the creature, the two swam forward before splitting up, one flanking its right and the other its left, and the creature slowly craned its head around in a circle on the point where its head was attached to its neck.

The chaotic waves picked up, and explosions shook the surface of the waves, cascading water across the walls and platforms hanging above. Sokka refused to be pushed back, diving through the waves, his focus entirely on the bright yellow form in front of him.

The ominous, "Quack," resounded again and yet, no explosions, no giant waves, the rubber warship-slash-turtle ducky seemed surprisingly still.

That was, until the mines popped up. Like laid eggs, they emerged from beneath the plastic construct, floating to the surface and being carried on the tumultuous waters forward. "What the -- what are those?"

He started at them, as they carried on the crest of a wave and bounded against him. They exploded as they bounced off, throwing him back and launching him against the wall of the basin.

"Ow."

He rubbed his head. The blast left him so dizzy, so disoriented. He was pushed with enough force that it seemed like he sailed atop the water rather than through it, though the water in his ear kind of protested that as a matter of perception.

Still.

He watched one float close to him, and looked at the rubber turtle ducky.

This idea could work.

* * *

Below them, the waters seemed so much calmer, the mines floated peacefully in the depths, undisturbed and standing as a splash of color in the otherwise drab depths. Azula counted them, because to focus on the increasingly short breath in her lungs would cause panic.

She wouldn't panic. It wasn't befitting of her.

They were moving now. It was kind of pretty, the way they blurred with the blackened waters as they were pushed aside by a wave. She reasoned she must be about to lose consciousness, but refused to let that register panic.

Panic would move her a bit too close to that other mine that bobbed a few feet from her head.

She was amazed it hadn't gone off when she stopped. Still, it became her reluctant companion in the depths. All she could do was try and stop from sinking further into the minefield, and try not to move too close.

Not that it mattered, any second now, she'd sink deeper and find herself at the bottom with the last of her air evaporating. She'd been holding her breath for maybe four, five minutes now? It was a little much.

She looked to the mine next to her again, as it was thrown clear into the distance, disappearing behind the murk. Instead, a radiant blue sweater atop a Phoenix school uniform greeted her. She felt the last of her air vanishing as the girl pulled her up towards the distant surface.

The surface though was a tempest of activity. The ominous quack, the mines appearing, Zuko didn't know exactly what was worse. He could hear Sokka shouting something, apparently he'd just discovered those mines for the first time.

As funny as it would be to see him thrown about, Zuko couldn't afford distractions. He propelled himself forward as fast as he could. Dodging around the mines was easy enough, but they were thickest around the turtle duck's side.

"Wonderful," he muttered, crossly.

Then, he had an idea. He dove underneath the surface, and looked around. The mines hovered overhead, but the creature's underbelly seemed completely defenseless -- or at least relatively so. With no other options apparent, he propelled himself straight at it.

And with a gasp, Azula came to the surface, her lungs physically in pain. She still felt the dizziness, the lightness of her head. She looked for Katara, and found the waterbender floating on the surface, equally tired. "Why --"

Katara looked at her, eyebrow cocked upwards, and through a gasping breath, said, "What do you mean, why?"

"Why did you save me?" she continued, "It was stupid. You could have died yourself."

"And just let you drown?" Katara screamed, her voice riddled with indignation. "What sort of question is that?"

She didn't have any further response. Not that she found herself with time to ask anything. The explosions tore across the waves, pushing and pulling them every which way they could, leaving them more disoriented than before, and the ducky cried out an angry, bitter, "Quack."

"Focus on that for now," Katara said. "We'll have time to talk later."

The walls undewent a great shuddering as the floodgates again opened, water spilling ouf the main pool slowly. The current sped up the bobbing of the rubber turtle ducky warship, which continued its barrage undeterred by the change.

It cried out a pained, "Quack!" and a figure bounded, seemingly flying across the water, sword held high and ready to strike.

"Is that -- that's Sokka!" Katara exclaimed, "What's he trying to do?"

* * *

"Not!" he screamed, "My!" he bounced on another mine, but the momentum just pushed him back into a third, which pushed him forward, "Best idea!" He reached for his sword as he approached, lifting it high and ready to slice.

It wasn't as elegant as he'd planned it, but it worked.

He swung! His sword sliced into the turtle ducky's side, leaving a large gash. Underneath, long, shadowy fingers held the plastic 'skin' together, The fingers criss-crossed, stitching the two pieces together. It continued to cry out, its pain-wracked, "Quack!" echoing through-out the waterways.

On the other side of the turtle ducky,Zuko climbed out of the water, his swords dug deep into the plastic. He used them to create footholds on the smooth surface, the inky shadow dripping from them as he climbed. He looked exhausted, breathing in quick, gasping breaths as he reached the top.

The blades cut through the plastic, exposing the writhing blackness, the turtle ducky's head falling into the water as the twin Dao blades sliced through. The creature slowly stopped, the waves died down, the shadowy stitching started to recede.

"What was that?" Katara breathed, swimming closer to the creature.

When he saw them, Sokka shouted in relief, "Katara! Azula! You guys made it!" He swam over to meet them. "That was pretty rough. Zuko! Great thinking!"

Zuko shook his head, grunting, and leaping off the inert plastic corpse. "Let's get out of here before something else happens."

Yue's frantic gesturing was noticed just a few seconds too late.

It didn't say, "Quack" this time. It just roared.

The fragments of the turtle ducky wrapped around the shadows tightly, the creature, still vaguely in the form of a turtle duck, seemed made of many writhing tendrils, a mismatched mask placed awkwardly over a large bill-like appendage on its face.

It roared again, throwing tendrils into the water.

"This is bad," Sokka observed, yet he did not appear remotely panicked.

Zuko glowered, "Great. Like we didn't have other things to do."

Azula's eyes were focused on the mask on its 'head', "I know that mask from somewhere," she muttered, but no one else heard her. The tendrils came down hard, splashing the water everywhere and digging deep through to the bottom.

"What is it doing?"

The creature pulled itself under the water, disappearing into the murky darkness. It moved, that was certain, the undercurrent picked up as it did, tugging at their toes like an undertow. "Katara, can't you magic water something up?" Sokka pleaded, desperation in his voice.

"I can try," she answered. Concentrating as hard as she could, a chill pervaded the water in front of her, crystallizing the surface into a small platform of ice. "Get on."

"Well, okay," Sokka answered, pulling himself up and offering a hand to Azula. "Come on."

She looked at it, but, reluctantly, she took it and he pulled her up. She turned and did the same for Yue as he helped Zuko climb up. "What are you planning, Katara?" Azula asked as Katara finally pulled herself up.

"We need to stop," she said, "And wait."

"What does that mean?"

"Toph said Aang used it to describe how she earthbended. Neutral Jing, or something," she waved her hands, "Not that it matters what it's called. I need to concentrate."

Stop, she said. Wait, she said, Azula couldn't figure out what she meant

But Katara listened. She closed her eyes and listened, the echoes making it difficult to sense where anything was coming, but in the silence, an echo would make any noise sound louder. Yue, a hushed whisper in the emptiness, quietly murmured, "It's coming."

Katara's fists tightened. Anticipation overwhelming, she could almost hear it, a phantom noise in her eardrums. When it came, she would be ready.

And the echoes were quiet.

And when the sound came, it was like a drop of water in the ocean.

It was like nothing at all, and yet it was everything she needed. Her eyes snapped open. Her hands unclenched. She raised them high. Her eyes darted from side to side. She saw it. She struck.

The waves pushed out at the massive shape that emerged. Its mutated wings rose high, covered in torn yellow plastic. Water splashed everywhere as the waves descended sharply around it, and then, like a flower bloomed, the waves around it pushed up and outwards.

"Direct hit!" Sokka cheered.

"Not over yet," Katara grunted, throwing her hands out. "I need to hold onto it, first."

The torrents froze into large chains of ice, tying down the massive shadows that squirmed in putrid, maggot-like ways about the creature's body. Katara fought back as they tried to expand. She could feel her fingers slipping.

She needed to hold, and she refused to lose. "Azula, please," she said, "Help."

"Me?" Azula tried to hide her surprise. Katara nodded, "What do I need to do."

"Follow my form," she said, "And try and focus on leading the water to become rigid."

"I see," she said, though she really didn't. She was a fast learner, though she wasn't sure this was exactly what she had in mind when she learned she needed waterbending lessons. On-the-job training didn't wait for anyone, though.

First, she pushed. The water followed her lead, joining in a dance.

Was it dancing?

It was the closest comparison she could think of for anything. Not that she danced much. Even the school dance was destroyed by rampaging spirits, and she never had the chance to dance with him there, either -- she caught herself as she became distracted, and turned her focus back to the simple moves of the dance.

Dip your partner, Azula thought with a grin, and bring them up into the air. Let them twirl around and then, hold.

A simple change in perspective and she was starting to understand the almost alien forms of waterbending much better. She wondered if Katara ever came to that conclusion. Looking at the form of her ice chains, Katara was still far more elegant, but these rickety chains she made would serve their purpose.

"Knew you could do it," Katara said.

The creature protested against these new chains with even greater sound and fury. Azula found herself surprised by the sheer amount of feedback she received. She could actually feel the ice begin to bend as a thrashing tendril from the creature's maw pulled at a loose fragment of ice.

It was a desperate struggle, the creature sounded like a cornered beast.

"We can't hold this forever."

"I know," Katara answered. She dropped her hands, and moved to another form, "But if you can hold it for just a minute longer."

"What?" Azula nearly snapped.

"If you don't think you can --"

"I can do this, I was just not prepared for you to do that," Azula coughed. No need to let on taht she was absolutely sure she couldn't do this, she reasoned.

Already her thinner chains were starting to crumble into nothing.

"All right," Katara doesn't even protest, just bringing the water up from the pool and forming it into one long lance of ice. "Let's see if this works."

"Katara," Azula grunted, "Aim between the eyes."

"Well, as close to eyes as this thing has," Sokka added.

"All right, I will." She steadied the icicle lance and delicately aimed.

"Any second now," Azula groaned.

Katara's motions were as fluid as water, hands moving back, then pushing forward, providing the momentum and arc the lance needed. The creature's roars were fierce and fearful, and it moved its head around desperately. Azula growled, tightening her grip and raising her hands up. The ice tightened around its neck, holding the creature still.

The lance seemed so much faster a second ago, and they watched it as it fell from its apex, downwards towards the creature's head.

It slid through the mask, and jutted out the backside of the neck, shimmering in the blue light that cast through the mist. For a moment, things seemed still. The creatures writhing ceased, and the only sound was a faint crack.

The mask split in twain and fell down, resting on the surface of the water.

Sokka was the first to speak, "What happened?"

Azula tensed further, "I do not know."

The beak-like maw opened again, and fell limp, fragments of the inky black substance falling into the water and dissolving. The roar of water draining further into the waterways echoed loud, competing as best as it could with the splashes as more and more fragments fell like raindrops, leaving only an inky black ripple in the water below.

"We got it," Zuko grinned.

Yue nodded in agreement. "But what did we get?"

"No! No! No! Rubber Turtle Ducky!"

As the last fragments bent back and left a black, inky stain on a raised platform the water had just revealed, the voice carried across them from an echo. "Her again?" Azula wondered, her patience slowly thinning, "What do you want now?"

"You broke my rubber turtle ducky. Now who'll make bathtime so much fun?"

"I don't have time for this. Stop playing games." She shook ehr head, "Ignore her. We need to find the real Toph."

"You're such a sour-puss!" the voice shouted angrily, "Well, fine, then I won't tell you where we are."

Zuko spoke up, "We? Who's we?" Even as he asked that, it was clear he knew full well her answer.

"Me and my other half, that's who!" she giggled madly, "And since you broke one of my toys, I'll break one of yours. Unless you wanna play a game!"

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Zuko grunted.

"Of course we do," Azula answered, "We can simply not play and move on."

"Azula! How could you?" Katara shouted. "I, I can't believe you'd just --"

"Cranky Dolly plays hard ball, it's so cute!" the other Toph's voice echoed, and they could hear her clapping excitedly, "But you don't have a choice. Wanna know a secret?" The group looked amongst themselves, as if wondering who would speak up first. "You can't get out of here without my permission. So to get it, you have to play. It's win win!"

"Fine," Azula groaned, "We'll 'play.' What is this game anyway?"

"Hide and seek! You've got to find me. If you do, I'll give you back the other Toph and show you how to get out of here. But I'm really good at this game, so you won't win."

"How hard can this be?" Sokka wondered aloud. "Oh -- oh wait, I didn't say 'How hard can this be' I said 'How blard can this be.' Blard meaning, uh, fun!"

"Nice try, Mr. Action Figure," the other Toph giggled, "But you just earned your team a time limit! You've got five minutes to find me."

"That doesn't seem fair," Azula answered, glaring directly at Sokka. "How about you give us a clue."

"Okay, okay," Toph's other side sighed, "I'm in that door."

The ice platform touched the bottom of the pool, and the group looked around the basin's floor. At the far end, a water-tight door covered up a passageway. They stared at it. "All right, that sounds fair. Start whenever you're ready."

"I did, like, ten seconds ago. Better get hurrying!" the voice giggled, vanishing into the echoes of the waterways.

"I hate these other sides," Katara muttered. "Azula, I can't believe you would just leave Toph like that."

"I was trying to bluff," Azula answered, nonplussed, "Come on. We have a door to open."

* * *

"This is a door, all right," Sokka observed.

It was quite large, water-tight, and somewhat more notably, locked. The door was long since eroded shut -- at least that's what it seemed like, and pulling at it seemed to be a pointless exercise.

"Anyone know how to work these things?" Sokka continued, "I think if we turn this thingie here, it may open, but it's really stuck there."

Azula craned her neck around, "Looks like it's rusted shut. Shoddy workmanship, typical Toph. I suppose the only course of action is for you big, strong men to do us ladies the favor of opening it."

"What?" Zuko bristled.

"Azula, this really isn't the time for being cute," Katara muttered. "Come on, I'll help." She rolled her eyes, "What is with her? One minute she seems to be improving, the next."

"Give her time," Sokka said, "She's just a little, well, she doesn't like to lose, does she?"

Katara shook her head, "_Toph _doesn't like to lose. Azula, on the other hand -- " she cast a glance at the girl, who seemed too busy looking around the bottom of the resevoir to pay attention, "Azula just doesn't like being wrong."

"I guess," Sokka shrugged, "Hey, Zuko, you take that end and push, Katara and I'll pull, see if we can't get this thing turning."

Zuko nodded and took position.

"What do you think, Zuko?" Katara asked.

"I don't know," Zuko muttered, "Right now I want to get out of here."

"But that's no excuse to leave Toph behind."

"I think she knows what she was doing," Zuko shook his head, "Doesn't mean she should just act like that."

"Thank you!"

"Ugh, this stupid -- on three, guys. One, two, three!" They heaved as hard as they could. The wheel would not budge.

Azula stared at them as they groaned and frowned. "Do you sense anything, Yue?" she asked for the third time since they started.

She shook her head, "I told you, anything I'm sensing is much too small."

"That worries me," she answered.

"You said," Yue hesitated, "Azula, do you think you could be a bit more concerned for Toph's safety?"

"Who says I'm not concerned?" Azula answered. "But she'll be fine. That was just an empty threat, anyway."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"They're parts of each other. At least, they are, for now. I don't imagine their future would be very secure if they went around trying to kill us."

"So, that's why they're trying to get us to reject them?"

"Presumably," Azula answered. She frowned, "What do you sense now?"

Yue sighed, "A bunch of small things are approaching us, but I don't think we have much to worry about."

"Ten hut! And march!"

"Oh, oh dear," Yue said, "That's a lot of small things."

Azula followed Yue's gaze to the line of small things she'd mentioned. They were tin soldiers, painted in Earth Kingdom greens, marching in a series of platoons, carrying on in an old-fashioned style.

"What the --"

"Aim!"

The sound of a hundred small guns loading is an intimidating noise. Azula narrowed her eyes. "I think I'll need to have a word with Toph about her subconscious and firearms."

"Fire!"

Azula did the only thing she could think of, pushing out a large gust of air to slow the bullets down. They were tiny, and though the gust slowed their momentum, they still hit, raining down like tiny hailstones. "Ow! What's going on?" Sokka turned around, his voice trailing as he saw the tin soldiers march. "That's not good."

"She's cheating!" Katara shouted.

"You expected her to play fair? Really?" Azula retorted. "Keep getting that door open. We don't have time."

"You need help though --"

"Yue and I can handle it. Just keep opening that door."

"Okay, okay," Katara said, resigned. "Let's get this door open and fast."

"Okay, okay, you try helping Zuko on that end this time."

"I hope Toph's okay," she said, moving to her position. "This is definitely not what I expected from her."

They turned the wheel as hard as they could, and slowly, the thing budged. Flaking rust fell to the ground. "We got it!" Sokka said. "Okay, again!"

"Got them!" Azula grinned, a gust of wind tearing through the firing squad.

"Great!" Yue cheered.

"Bring in the heavy artillery!"

"They've got a tank? Well, that's a pleasant surprise!"

Katara winced as she heard Azula shouting behind her. "Let's hurry it up, guys."

"Okay, on one. One!" They heaved and she could feel it start to give. "Yeah! Again! One!"

"How long do we have?"

"You don't want to know," Zuko grunted.

"Look out, Azula, they're bringing in air support!"

"They're doing _what_?"

"Bombs away!"

"Oh, _wonderful_."

Katara winced again. "It's okay," Sokka said, "She's got it under control. She's got it under control, right, Zuko?"

"I'm not paying attention," he grunted. "We're almost there, Sokka, don't let up to chat."

"Okay, okay," Sokka answered. "Let's give it one good heave and go!"

The creaking of the rusted door like a groan, the pieces moving into place as the door swung slowly open, it sounded like music to their ears. "We got it! Come on Azula, let's go -- Azula?"

"Yes, Katara?"

The tiny infantry was scattered, their tanks were piles of scrap metal and their planes a smoldering wreck, and Azula stood in the middle, a grin on her face. The tin soldier's commander weakly raised his voice, calling for them to, "Sound the retreat." Her heel came down on him.

"Looks like you had fun."

She brushed the hair away from her face, "Of course. Good work on the door."

"Yeah, thanks," Katara shrugged. "Let's go. We need to hurry!"

"Be careful, we don't know what we're running into," Azula barked, following after Katara. Frenzied footsteps on the cold stone floor turned to splashing and the darkness around them grew even thicker.

"So, can anyone see?"

"No, Sokka," Yue said, patiently.

"Oh, good, because I was worried my eyeballs stopped working."

"How is that the first thing to come to your --" Azula cut off with the slamming of the door "Oh, it was a trap."

The echo sounded closer, a laugh, childlike and innocent, "Ha ha! You found me! Are you ready for your prize?"

"Where's Toph!" Sokka shouted. He paused, and from the sounds of his splashing footsteps, it was clear he was spinning around, "And where are you, for that matter."

"Aww, are you having trouble seeing?" the other Toph's voice cooed, "Well, let me get the lights for you big babies."

There was a sound, and a low electric hum started up, the lights flickering and casting reflections on the shallow water underfoot. Long, craggy stone walls, hewn like a natural cave, dripping with water around them, and in front of them, a very large, irate looking badger-mole with a tiny pair of aviator goggles balanced snarled.

The other Toph pushed it forward, "Pao Pao, come on! Get them!"

The lazy looking creature snarled angrily at the command, but moved to lumber forward, the large pack on its back expanding as it stood. Rows upon rows of ammunition emerging in belts as the harness extended outwards.

Expanding larger and larger until it jammed itself hard into the stony walls.

The badgermole made a confused coo as it started to scrape at the walls. "That was, uh," Yue politely bowed her head, "I'm sorry, I think that did not work quite the way you intended."

"Sic 'em, Pao Pao!"

It grumbled and turned its head with a snarl. It charged towards them, snapping wildly.

"Really, this isn't intimidating, it's just kind of sad," Katara said, unfazed by the creature swiping mere meters in front of her.

"Pao Pao! Why do you fail me!"

The animal's head sagged, and it moaned a lonesome moan. "Don't get angry at him," Katara huffed, "He's only stuck because of your little harness thing."

"But, but, but!" the other Toph stamped her feet angrily, "But that's not fair! That is so not fair!"

"Life's not fair," Zuko grumbled, "Now where's Toph?"

The other Toph grinned, "Past this hallway. But to get down there, you'll need to pass my ferocious Badgermole Pao Pao!"

"Aww! It likes the treats!" Sokka cooed, "He's kind of cute for a big guy."

"Yeah, he is!"

"Why are you two playing with it?" Zuko grumbled.

"Oh come on, Zuko," Katara answered, whirling about on him, "There's no reason to be mean."

Zuko stared at her for a second. Then, his shoulders sagged and he shrugged, "I guess not."

"Pao Pao! Traitor! You can earthbend your way out of there, you big dum-dum!"

The badgermole paused, then with an embarrassed growl slammed its claws into the wall and dug in, disappearing into the stone. The other Toph tittered in delight. "Now the fun starts!" she said, breaking itno a hurried dash down deeper into the cavern.

"Hey, after her!" Sokka shouted.

They broke into a dash, with Azula lingering for a moment. Something bugged her about this. Particularly, the noises that came from deep within that tunnel, sounds like rushing waters. She furrowed her brow, and broke into a dash after them.

Electrical lightning flickered as with a roar, the area was plunged once more into darkness, and a torrent of water burst out of the ground after the badgermole. "Run faster," Azula said, brushing against the wall.

The snarling breaths of the badgermole drew closer.

"How," Sokka gasped, "How did we become the ones being pursued?"

"Shut up and keep running!" Azula said, well aware there were worse things than being charged by a lazy badgermole.

"I see a light," Katara gasped. Indeed, a red light was cast and the cavern was growing warmer the closer they got to it.

"I don't like that light, it doesn't look friendly at all."

"Stop talking, Sokka, and focus on staying alive," Azula muttered. These people, always talking when their lives are on the lines, she would laugh if she wasn't so focused on staying alive.

"Almost there," Sokka continued to narrate.

She was certain he was doing this to annoy her. He was certain that it did. They ran into the light, their eyes struggling to adjust. A massive chasm, as deep as it was wide, lay before them, pipes descending seemingly forever.

The heat was coming from a large furnace that the pipes all jutted from. A narrow walkway, jittery and somewhat rusted, surrounded it, and the pipes that came down from higher levels of the cavern formed a low-hanging ceriling.

The rushing water was just behind them; the badgermole closer still. "Well, great," Zuko said, jumping onto the walkway. It shook as he did so. "Quick."

They scurried across, the rusted panels of the walkway shuddering as they did. The red light cast a sinister look onto the badgermole's features. "Pao Pao, please, don't do anything rash. I've got jerky sticks! Real seal jerky!"

Pao Pao paused briefly, his mood changing as Sokka pulled out the jerky.

"Good boy. That's it, don't maul us and you get the jerky."

Pao Pao tentatively stepped forward. The cavern rumbled and shuddered.

A wave of water, cast in red gushed forth like a geyser, throwing Pao Pao into the walkway with a thud. The walkway shuddered, as Pao Pao was forced against it, his massive frame forcing the rusted panels to creak in ways they'd never before.

It stumbled to its feet as the shuddering became more pronnounced, and the panels dropped off into the infinite abyss, carrying Pao Pao with them. "That was too close," Azula said. "We need to be more careful."

"Getting off this walkway would be a good step," Zuko concluded, and they started across the rickety platform.

"Guys?" Sokka said, suddenly, as they slowly walked past the furnace. Steam blasted in front of their faces, slowing them even further, "I think I saw a badgermole flying."

"You saw what?"

Sokka pointed, "Oh, there it is again."

On large wings propelled by a rocket pack, Pao Pao soared through the vast cavern. The belts of ammunition in its pack "Why is Toph's subconscious so, so," Sokka searched desperately for a word, "Weird?"

"I heard that!"

Sokka's eyes lit up, "Toph! Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me!"

The voice echoed through the cavern.

"Where are you?"

"Like I can see," she shouted back.

"Hey, no fair, stop ignoring me!"

"She's here with me, too," Toph added. "What's taking so long?"

"We've got a flying badgermole. Be a minute," Azula said, nonchalantly. She paused, "How do we deal with a flying badgermole?"

"I think, perhaps, we should figure that out," Yue said, stepping back, "Because it seems to be coming in to attack."

Azula stared, teeth clenched, watching as the badgermole swooped in close.

She narrowed her eyes, "I guess I'll have to improvise."

_To be continued._


	15. Super Ego

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Now it's over! Survival of the fittest, time for me to take over. I was lenient but now game's over. Mass Destruction's now our slogan."_

_- Mass Destruction - Reincarnation-_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 14: **_Super Ego_

Azula Houou was not having a good day.

She didn't know exactly how she found herself grabbing onto the back of a rocket pack wearing, heavily armed flying badgermole, and she really didn't have time to try and reminisce. Especially since it was doing a barrel roll.

"Hey! What's taking you guys so long!"

Add to it an increasingly irate Toph Bei Fong screaming at them, and Azula could be forgiven for wanting to just crawl under the sheets until today became a distant bad memory. She heard a click and a whirring noise from the guns on the wings. The belts of ammunition feed into them as the creature, named uncreatively Pao Pao, swooped down on the rest of her group.

"Run for cover!" Sokka shouted

"Do you need some help, Azula?" Katara shouts from behind a shimmering wall of water. The bullets enter the large bubble, floating harmlessly, "Because all you have to do is ask."

All she has to do is ask? Hardly. Azula rolled her eyes and turned back to turning off the rocket pack. "I have it under control," she shouted. Her fingers worked overtime. She didn't have long until it decided to loop de loop or do another barrel roll.

"She has it under control," Katara repeated, looking at Zuko with a shrug. "How did your sister end up this way."

"I blame my father,' he spat out.

"Oh, right. Sorry," she answered, wincing.

"Why did she even think this was a good idea?" Sokka wondered aloud. All eyes turned to him. "What? I didn't think she'd do it!"

"Seriously, guys!"

"Toph seems to be getting impatient," Yue noted.

"Let her."

"That's awfully cold of you, Katara." Yue looked over at the door and back at Pao Pao the Flying Badgermole, "Still, he doesn't seem to want us to go any further."

"Because he'd get stuck again!" Sokka pointed out.

Sokka's comments not-withstanding, it was getting a bit tedious watching Azula flail about, holding on for dear life on a whirlwind trip about the tall rocky cavern. "Maybe we should just help her, Katara," Yue urged, "I mean, it's been far too long."

"She said she has it under control," Katara retorted.

"You know you can be kind of scary when you're angry at someone," Zuko commented. Apparently his words came out unbidden, since he clamped a hand over his mouth as he finished.

"Oh, can I?" Katara turned on Zuko, her expression clearly not amused.

Azula passed by, Pao Pao flying in low alongside the walkway, his wing going clicker-clack on the steel railing. "Azula!" Yue called out.

"It's under control!"

"She keeps saying those words," Yue quietly commented, "I do not think they mean what she thinks they mean."

"You can just ask me to help, Azula, I'd be more than happy to!" Katara shouted back. The response came a moment later as Pao Pao looped around the walkway.

"I'm -- I'm fine!"

"You look kind of green," Sokka pointed out. "Maybe if you ask Katara nice, she'll shoot out some magic water, freeze up the badgermole, and we'd be on our way."

Pride forbid her from asking. Pride also forbid her from losing all contents of her stomach in front of everyone. She chose the path of least shame, "Katara, would you please stop this thing for me?"

"Certainly, Azula," Katara answered, blithely. She moved over to the other end of the walkway, and drew water from a bottle. Seeing her move towards the exit, Pao Pao veered and flew in high over the walkway.

She spun around, a large wave of water crashing against the badgermole, and by extension, Azula. Soaked and irate, the badgermole turned suddenly upwards and way, exposing its back to Katara, who threw up a lance of ice.

The construct crashed against the harness. The rocket sputtered and coughed, giving up the ghost with a tiny black puff of smoke. Gravity set in immediately, and momentum sent the badgermole crashing towards the entrance.

"Azula, jump!" Yue cried.

She didn't need the suggestion. She leapt, perfectly flipping in the air and landing precariously on the edge of the walkway. She felt her stomach lurch and she stopped, perfectly still. "You really don't look so good," Sokka pointed out, "But don't let this bad experience put you off flying. Statistically, it's still the safest way to travel."

"Will keep that in mind, thank you, Sokka," she answered from behind clenched teeth. Pao Pao wiggled and kicked his large legs helplessly before slumping down. "It's not a very smart creature," she commented before turning to the entrance.

"She's just ahead." Yue's voice sounded nervous, "I think we'd better hurry. I can sense that other Toph, and it's getting stronger by the second."

"Hold on, Toph!" Katara shouted ahead, "We're coming!"

* * *

The steam from the pipes left the cavern they traveled through steamy and uncomfortably warm. The noise of running water got even louder as they moved down a low slope that stopped right before a long drop.

Water from a pipe rained down on a long, empty resevoir below. The only water in it came up to a person's ankles, and the only person standing in the resevoir was busy stomping and splashing in the small wading pool.

"No, no, no! No fair! You're trying to cheat."

"Ow ow ow," the only other person was Toph, suspended by a small length of rope just above the ground. The water from the pipe above crashed down on her head intermittently, as she swung back and forth. "Hey, stop that!"

"No!" the other Toph said angrily. "Not until you apologize for trying to trick me!"

"Why should I?"

"Good to see the Tophs sitting down and talking," Sokka muttered quietly. "So, what's the plan? We sweep in there, rescue Toph, and go home happy?"

"If only it were that easy," Katara answered. "You haven't dealt with one of those things yet."

"What's so hard? Just don't say something like 'No! You're not me!' and there's no problem, right?" Sokka smirked. He looked far too pleased with his leap of logic. Katara slowly shook her head. He couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Do you know how embarrassing it is to have yourself exposed like that?" she retorted, crossing her arms as if to protect herself.

"My other side said things that I couldn't even accept myself," Yue added. "I know the other Toph is going to put Toph through the same ordeal."

Azula rolled her eyes. Could they be any bigger bleeding hearts. "So what? We defeat her like we defeated the others."

"Well, yeah, but," Sokka looked nervous as he spoke, "Last time wasn't exactly a walk in the park. You know, if it's just the same with you, Azula, I'd rather avoid whatever weird monster thing Toph will turn into."

Yue asked the obvious question, "So, what do we do?"

"We have to rescue Toph," Katara answered.

"So we have to stop the other Toph from going on some creepy rant about inner feelings and repression and how Toph's other side is her and she is her other side and they're one big happy family and a knick-knack paddy wack and all the rest, right?" Sokka added, "Okay, I got an idea."

"I've got a better idea," Azula retorted. "We get Toph to accept her other side."

"That's not going to be easy," Yue warned.

"I know, but it's either that or the monster," Azula answered, "I don't see any other way to rescue Toph."

"Of course," Yue looked down at the resevoir below. "Let's climb down very carefully, everyone."

Azula, ignoring Yue, leapt from the cavern down to the resevoir below, landing with a splash. The other Toph turned around, her strange, empty eyes staring vacantly through her. "Oh, look, Tophy, our friends have arrived to save you."

"I got it handled," Toph protested.

The other Toph smiled, "Oh Toph, we're so tough and strong and we don't need anybody except ourselves, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Toph, she's trying to provoke you," Azula shouted back, "She's trying to get you riled up and angry."

"Azula's really smart, but she's not very bright. Maybe I am, but maybe I'm not. We don't do anything other people want us to do, after all. Daddy and Mommy wanted us to be a perfect little daughter, fragile as a porcelain doll. Isn't that sad?"

"Toph," Azula warned, "Whatever feelings you have about what your parents did, you never let that stop you before. Do not let it stop you now."

"Azula's right!" Toph spat at the other Toph, "So tough luck, sister!"

The other Toph didn't seem perturbed at all. Her strange eyes softened, listening to the splashes of the others running towards them, "You're right. You never became what they wanted to be. That's why you became everything they didn't want you to be, right?"

"What are you? Crazy? I'm me!"

"They wanted you to be feminine, so you became a tomboy. They wanted you to be delicate, so you became tough. They wanted you to be helpless, so you pushed everyone else away and never accepted anyone's help."

"That's not true!" she shouted in response. Azula tensed.

"Toph, remember who this is. You made her, don't let her get the better of you."

"That's right," Toph said, "Okay, so if you're me, you know what you just said doesn't make any sense."

"You never wanted to grow up," the other Toph continued, "You just continued to throw a tantrum until things went your way. The whole independent and powerful Toph Bei Fong is just an illusion to protect a small child playing make-believe."

"Shut up!" Toph shook.

"Toph, don't --" Katara started, only to be cut off by the other Toph laughing in a mad fit.

"You're blind, and tiny, and helpless. Your bending was the only thing that made you powerful, and now that you've lost that, you just push everyone away, yelling at them all the time. You gave up on everyone. You saw Katara and what she was dealing with," she smiled, a wide, dark smile, "You knew and you just gave up on her. Just like you gave up on yourself."

The smile, an out of place smile on Toph's face, so full of malice and vindictiveness, grew even larger as the tremors grew, "Just like you gave up on him."

"Shut up! I never gave up on Aang!"

"Toph! Stop!" Sokka shouted. His eyes widen.

"He needed you! You let him down! When he needed you to win, you lost! You lost miserably!".

"That's not true! I didn't -- I don't lose!"

"Get ready," Zuko frowned.

"Toph! Don't --"

"You're wrong! I don't lose!" But even those words lose their strength. Toph's head hung low, she repeats weakly before drifting away. The other Toph laughed, triumphantly.

"Poor baby, you can't win!" her eyes shimmer, and the shadows begin to pour from the pipeways, "I'm free of that loser at long, long last!"

She grabbed onto the black shadows, letting them wind around her arm and cover her body. The shadows ran wild, her body growing and shifting, wider and taller until the shadows stretched thin to conceal it.

Then, cutting throw the shadows, a large badgermole claw stamped down into the water. "What the --"

Sokka's statement fell off into nothing as the full form of Toph's other self emerged. Like two badgermoles drawing a chariot, the metal frame was shaped ornately in the form of those creatures, lashing and snarling as though they were alive.

If they were paying attention, they'd see the other Toph bound into the metal frame of the device, tiny and almost inconsequential, her torso buried deep within it almost seamlessly, her body looking more like metal, like a robot toy. Their eyes, however, were drawn to the body's armaments.

"This is not good."

A cannon, several automatic weapons grafted to the side, a large assortment of rocket launches, another cannon on the side, what seemed to be a flamethrower, every inch of the metal shell was covered in some new and deadly looking firearm.

"I'm the true self!" the other Toph proclaimed, "I won't hold back and I'll never give up, ever again!"

That whirring sound, and the loud echo it left behind, sounded far too familiar. Two grafted chain guns spun around. "We need cover, now!" Sokka shouted.

"On it!" Katara slid her foot across the ground and raised her hands up in a wide, sweeping arc. Following her lead, the water bended and shifted into a long shield in front of them. She tightened her hands into fists, and the water froze solid.

The ammunition -- not really bullets from the sound of it -- struck the ice with a loud crack, almost like the breaking of bones, repeatedly at such speed that the noise sent a shiver down Azula's spine.

The fire carved through the ice, each hit chipping a little more of the barrier away, little by little making its way through. "We need to get out of the line of fire!"

"And leave ourselves open?" Zuko grunted, "Sokka, this is stupid."

"We hold our ground and that wall's going down," Sokka said, "The only thing we can do is move."

Azula looked at the barrier, and saw some of the ice propelled inwards. Katara, focused and quick, mended the whole as quick as it came, but not fast enough to stop a shot from landing with a splash in their midst.

"See?" Sokka crossed his arms.

"We'll get mown down if we move!"

"Boys, you're both right," Azula said, touching the wall, "Katara, let's move this wall."

"Move it?" Katara blinked, stunned, "But where?"

Azula pointed forward, "I'll make a smaller barrier for us to duck behind while you do so," hesitation only briefly showing, "This way, we'll have time to rebuild."

"All right, Azula," Katara said, hazarding a smile, "Let's see if this works."

"Of course it will. Have I let us down yet?"

She kept her mouth a thin, unreadable line, her mouth going dry. Dance with the water, that much was easy to understand, it was just a matter of how much of it she could dance with, and how long before she screwed up and splashed herself.

"What's wrong?" Katara said, bracing herself, "Azula? What is it?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." There was no time for doubt. What was it Toph said, that one martial artist she quoted all the time? Don't think -- feel.

Grace in movement was not something she ever doubted. Dance, sports, music, everything she ever applied herself to she succeeded in, without fail. This would not be different. She refused to let it be different. She slid her heel across the ground, lifted her arms in a wide arc and brought her hands up into fists.

And then she opened her eyes. It was a barrier at least. Not very tall, but more than enough to duck behind. "Get behind, first one to say something gets to take their chances out in the open," she snapped, ducking under the barrier.

"Won't hear me complaining," Sokka answered as he dove behind it.

Katara pushed her hands against the wall and pushed as hard as she could, feeling the wall lurch forward at the other Toph, the gunfire slowing it down, chipping away at it, and finally crushing it into two as it approached, pieces of ice falling and crashing around.

They could hear the other Toph coughing and trying to speak, but the mist thrown up by the ruined wall made it impossible to see. "No fair," she coughed, "Targeting systems! I need my targeting systems!"

"Uh oh."

"She's preparing a big attack," Yue said, "If I may make a suggestion? Now would be a good time to try and stop her."

"Duly noted," Azula said, climbing over her cover. "We need to get Toph down from there and into safety! Sokka, get on that."

"Right!"

"Katara, with me. Zuko, well," she paused, watching Zuko run off in front, "You go and do whatever you're doing then."

"Zuko, be careful!" Yue called. Her warning seemed to go unheeded. He leapt up, bringing his foot down atop one of the badgermole constructs, arcing his sword to strike at some of the armaments along the front of the tank.

The badgermole roared, coming to life and swiping him down. He rolled, thrown into the water, his Dao blades thrown around as he landed. Sokka just shook his head, "That guy will never learn just to leave badgermoles alone."

"Get going," Azula snapped.

"Yes'm."

"Acquiring target! Come on, give me a firing solution!"

"We don't have long," Azula said, "Let's move, Katara."

The two girls swung their arms wide, bringing water up into the air. Katara wrapped it around herself before launching it, shifting mid-throw into a solid stance, letting the upward arc descend sharply as they turned into an icicle rain down on top of the vehicle.

Azula struck with a simpler movement, hitting the legs of the badgermoles that carried it with a surprisingly forceful whip of water. The chariot buckled under the force, but the other Toph still screeched triumphant. "Fire!"

The main cannon drew back, cartoonishly throwing the vehicle back several feet while throwing a large black shell into the wall. Rubble collapsed out of the hole, and more water poured in, blackness clawing its way out of the hole and across the wall. "Fire the Big Missile!"

Katara kneeled down besides Zuko, offering him her hand. He took it grudgingly. "That sounds bad. Can you stand up, Zuko?"

"Sokka!" How are you doing on that Toph rescue thing?"

"It's coming, Azula," Sokka said, clinging tightly to a precarious big of cliff "Thanks for telling that evil Toph thing with the million guns about it, though." He tried to cut the chain, but it wasn't budging. "Please don't fire on me, please don't fire on me, I'll give you cookies if you don't fire on me."

"That won't help you. Big Missile armed! Commencing countdown!"

"Oh great, she's got a countdown," Sokka said, "Just what I needed, added incentive. Just once, I'd like to be given the easy job, y'know? It's always, Sokka, go do research at the library or Sokka, go fight that impossibly powerful monster. Why can't it be, Sokka, eat this delicious cake we made?"

"Five!"

He hacked at the chain as hard as he could. "Come on, chain, give me a break!" He didn't even have time to congratulate himself on the pun. All he could do is keep predicting, early, the next number on the countdown.

"Four!"

There was a click as the sword finally hit hard enough to break one of the links. "I got you, Toph!" he said as he threw her over his shoulder and slowly climbed down the slippery cliffside. Not that he hadn't been in worse situations, but the countdown was what made it just that extra bit special.

"Three!"

With a snapping and snarling badgermole -- whatever it was -- nipping at his heels as he dropped the last few steps, he could feel the heat from the missile as it started to fire. "Come on, almost there!" he said, sprinting as fast as his feet could carry him through the ankle-high water.

"Two one!"

"Oh that's just not fair!" he cried as he rushed towards the others. "Wait for me!"

"Missile is away! Ming Ming mk 2, do we have confirmation of hit?" the front-end badgermole roared as the missile descended upon its target, waiting for a chance to bark out an affirmative. The ones underneath the target however were more busy running.

"Katara, get up something, now!" Azula barked.

"Right, I'll just do that."

"Don't talk back, just figure something out!" She scowled back at Azula, but it didn't matter. Azula already turned her attention back to the rampaging Toph. So many questions filtered through her brain, the only important one being 'What would Toph Do Now?' Their Toph was never exactly one to pull punches, she expected this wild and unfettered Toph to be no different.

There was a loud noise as the missile exploded, sending out a ring of dark smoke as it tore into the ground, throwing debris everywhere that they could see. Katara's slipshod costruction barely held against the largest piece of debris, and when another slammed against the wall, it shattered, raining down rapidly melting splinters of ice down on them.

"We missed? Deploy the Teddy Bombers!"

A still came over everyone, as they tried to filter the words through their heads. Combined they suddenly sounded alien in their head, like she was speaking another language. Unfortunately, their silent respite was broken by the noise of the chain guns spinning back to life. "Rocks, cover, yeah, that'll work!" Sokka said.

The Bending Club ducked behind the rubble just in time, the sound of whatever the other Toph was shooting at them ricocheting off echoed loudly in the chamber.

"She's firing like crazy!" Katara shouted over the din.

"Suppressing fire," Zuko grunted back, in turn, "She wants us right here."

Why did Toph have to be so clever, Azula wondered. Still, she couldn't figure why she'd want to keep them pinned down behind the strongest cover they had. She looked to their side. The impact crater was filling with water, but more than that, a deep blackness from beneath the water stirred and shifted until a small, black, bear-like shape emerged. She couldn't figure out what kind of bear it was meant to be, but she could see the smile on its blank face, a large white line.

More of them stood up from beneath the water, climbing up the impact crater and cooing cutely. One spun around on its foot and landed on its bottom, rubbing the sore spot briefly before it made a noise sounding almost like, "Uh oh," as it expanded and exploded.

"Teddy Bombers," Azula said, "Coming in on our flank."

"Toph, you half-mad have insane crazy person!" Sokka shouted. "What do we do?"

"That explains the suppressing fire," Azula murmured. "They're coming in fast! Strike hard and keep your distance!"

"Boomerang! I choose you!"

Azula rolled her eyes, but was too busy lobbing small bits of ice at the approaching teddy bomber line. The slightest bump seemed enough to set them off. Explosions rocked the line, throwing some back and causing chain reactions, tearing a line of craters into the resevoir's floor.

Katara and Sokka's attacks slowed down the line, but Zuko, back to the debris, looked on helplessly as one lone bomber broke through, slamming against the debris. It started to expand. "Yue!" the girl stood frozen watching the thing explode.

Zuko moved without thinking, throwing the thing clear just as it exploded, knocking him clear and covering Yue from the blast. "Zuko, thank you, I didn't think --"

"Yeah, you didn't," he grunted angrily. "Be more careful!"

She nodded meekly as they positioned themselves behind the largest in tact piece of rubble. Sokka, while sheathing his boomerang, turned to look at Zuko sidelong, "You didn't have to be a jerk about it."

"I"m not being a jerk."

"Zuko, you're a jerk, you can't help it sometimes, I know, but you were definitely a jerk there," he continued.

He was about to retort, or maybe apologize judging by the scrunching of his brows, but Azula cut him off before he could speak, "As enlightening as this conversation is, boys, we have a lot to deal with."

"Do we have a lock, Pao Pao mk. 2? Fire the rocket propelled grenades!"

"Like that," Azula added. "Yue, make sure Toph stays safe."

"Of course! But, what will you do?"

That was a very good question.

The chariot buckled under the force as a series of grenades were launched Behind the rubble, Azula could feel them hit, and the whole floor shook dangerously. "We need to do something. She's got us right where she wants us!" Katara shouted.

"I know that!" She couldn't help snapping, but no ideas were forthcoming at this point. Move out into line of fire, get mown down by artillery fire. Stay under cover and the explosions would eventually hit home and at the very least leave them exposed and open.

Neither of those options seemed to end well. She knew, rationally, that there must be a third option that she was overlooking, but the noise of rockets and the shuddering of the nearby explosions made things even harder to concentrate.

She stood in the middle of a battlefield. Toph's Other Self was equipped with a weapon of mass destruction and time to find Option C seemed to be quickly running out. The explosion hit close to home this time, shooting up debris and splashing heated water up at them.

"I can't think of anything," Zuko admitted. "Sokka?"

"Every weapon's got a weakness," Sokka said, "But I don't think I know where this one's is."

Every weapon has a weakness, this was indisputable. There however was a key flaw with Sokka's reasoning and with a rush through her head, causing the back of her neck to tingle painfully, an image came hazy into her brain.

The trigger of her gun, hesitation, and her target -- who was her target, she couldn't tell -- but if she hadn't hesitated he would have been no more. Instead, the slightest adjustment, a different figure falling.

All weapons have a weakness. But all weapons share that one weakness.

"I know where it is," Azula answered.

"Oh? You've got something?"

Azula drew her gun. "Yes. I've got something."

"Oh, sure, I nearly get it and you go and steal my thunder."

"Tell you what, I'll let you watch and figure it out," She grinned, actually rather enjoying this. She just had no idea how to exploit this weakness, though. She looked at Sokka, briefly, and blinked. Of course, it was that simple. "Sokka, I need you to be Sokka in her general direction."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Sarcastic?" Katara suggested.

"That, my dear sister, is my sparkling wit and I would thank you not to demean it."

"Yes, do that," Azula said, "Just do it with Toph instead of Katara."

"I still don't get you, Azula."

"Just do it!" she snapped.

"Fine, whatever," Sokka shrugged. He peeked around the corner of a piece of masonry that stood broken in the resevoir pool, and said, "Hey, Toph. Do you mind shooting us a little less?"

There was a tense silence. Azula hesitated. She couldn't be wrong, could she? No, she needed to get such doubts out of her head.

Still, that silence was very convincing.

Sokka shrugged, "So, what now --"

"Why should I?"

Sokka paused and looked at Azula. She took a second to recompose herself, she knew that was coming but why did the other Toph take so long to respond. She gestured to Sokka to keep talking.

"Because of my sparkling personality?"

"You're funny!" the response came much quicker, but was accentuated by some grunting, "I'll come for you last!"

"Gee, thanks," Sokka said, without thinking.

"What was that?" Toph's response was immediate, but the sound of her fumbling with something and a large crash seemed a bit disconcerting. "Oh, good, the Omega Disintegrator Bomb didn't detonate! Look what you made me do, you big meanie. Remember when I said I'd come for you last? I lied!"

"That's a surprise," Sokka muttered. Azula glowered at him, and told him to speak louder, "Ahem, I mean, that! Is! A! Suprise! Loud enough for you, Azula?"

She rolled her eyes and peeked around the rubble.

A very large bomb sat very precariously on the floor next to Toph, who was currently fumbling as best as one connected at the torso to a bizarre metallic badgermole tank could to grab it. She stuck out her tongue in Sokka's general direction. "Yeah, so?"

"I was being sarcastic. I mean, witty! Yeah, witty!"

"You're so weird!"

Her attention was fully on Sokka, just childishly going back and forth. Azula grinned. She signalled to the others. Now was their chance.

They moved quickly and quietly across the far edge of the resevoir. "Just you wait til I get this thing armed! Then you'll be sorry!"

"Look, I know that bomb is important to you, but I'd really appreciate you not killing me with it, okay?"

"I'm sorry?" the other Toph sounded confused. Sokka's personality had its uses. Confounding any normal person was among them, and, in this instance, bizarre spiritual manifestations of repressed emotions seemed to share a lot with any given normal person.

Ming Ming mk. 2, rooting around in the water tiredly, looked up as she heard them approaching, and it growled menacingly. Azula paused. That wasn't good. "What's the matter, Ming Ming mk. 2? Do you hear something?"

The other Toph swiveled the main gun over towards them, moving just ahead of them. "Well, fire away!"

They had to make a break for it! Azula turned back and sprinted, and the others followed her lead shortly after. The cannon nearly threw the whole body of the machine hurtling to the side, and its shadowy shell collided with the wall and spread in a massive explosion, raining down water and rubble all around.

"Did we get 'em?"

Ming Ming mk.2, hyper alert, carried the structure like a chariot, slowly closer. "Targetting device online! We'll track them down this time for sure!"

"Now or never, Azula," Zuko said, drawing his weapons.

Katara steeled herself as well. So much for getting the drop on her. "All right. Now it is."

Zuko charged first, ducking to the side as the mechanical Ming Ming sliced in his direction and leaping off its head and bringing the blades down at the front of the vehicle. They barely scratched the surface, and he leapt back to safety as Ming Ming sliced again with her claws.

"Oh, did you get a hit in?" the other Toph laughed. "The Chariot is equipped with ultra-hardened geotanium alloy plating. Nothing can break that!"

"So like a kid," Zuko grunted.

"Let me try!" Katara said, raising her hands up to strike, fluid and fast. Water lobbed through the air after her then wheeled back as she stepped back. She spun it around her once more before striking straight into the main cannon, and with a simple movement, freezing it inside.

"What did you do to my gun!" she cried. "It's not supposed to break! I won't let it! Fire! Fire now!"

The main cannon fired, but not in the direction the other Toph expected. A large explosion tore through the back of the vehicle, pieces of the plating, unbroken true to her word, falling to the ground.

"Oh no! My precious Chariot!" the other Toph said, sobbing, "You'll pay for that! I'll make you pay! Targets locked! Fire the mega-laser!"

"What's a mega-laser?" Katara asked. Azula slapped her head. Why would you ask something like that? It was a laser, persumably it was a very big laser. One of the assortment of moving parts on the Chariot moved, in quick stuttering motions.

The laser itself emerged from its back and positioned itself over the other Toph's shoulder and kept extending and expanding.

"Firing mega-laser!"

Azula was blown to the ground by the concussive force the laser fired. Real lasers didn't quite work like that, but sometimes she forgot that this other Toph had the mentality of a small child playing with big, and notably dangerous, toys.

"Ow," Katara moaned. "What was that?"

"The mega-laser," Zuko muttered, getting to his feet, "Hits like a truck."

"Oh that made me feel all better. Let's get back to playing!"

The spinning of those guns -- not now! Azula drew herself to her feet quickly, "Zuko, we need to --"

"Yeah, I know," Zuko said. "If we could just stop that thing from reloading --"

"Too late for that now. Move!" Azula said.

Katara lifted her arms, preparing to shape the water into an icy barrier when the shots fired. They tore through the still viscous, freezing water and struck her with enough force to knock her to the ground.

With a pained shout she fell to the ground and the bullets sailed just overhead, as she stared up at them. "That, that really hurt."

"Katara," Zuko shouted, "We need to --" he didn't get far before he was gunned down as well, falling face first into the water. He rolled slowly to his side. "Can't move."

Azula glowered. This was very, very bad. She leapt up into the air as high as she could, and hoped she landed somewhere safe. "Deploy the anti-air rockets!"

Azula's face fell. "Oh, of _course._"

* * *

Sokka just watched helplessly from behind cover. "They need me out there, Yue."

Yue nodded slowly, "Be careful, Sokka. She's powerful and she's just gaining more and more power. Toph must have been holding so much back. She's very strong, herself, isn't she?"

Sokka nodded in agreement. "But what's that weakness Azula was going on about."

Yue blinked, "You haven't figured it out yet, Sokka? Shame on you!"

"Oh, and you have?"

She giggled, "Of course. There's one weakness all weapons share. It's--"

"No, don't tell me," he said, "I think I got it."

"I'd love to play guessing games at a later time, Sokka, but right now I don't think --"

"Every weapon's weakness is they've got to be used by somebody!" he paused, "No wait, that's not right. " She sighed. "What?"

"I think you should hurry and help everyone!"

"Right! On it!" he took off, forgetting completely what they'd been talking about, at least, outwardly. Yue smiled weakly. She cared for Sokka dearly, but he did tend to go on, sometimes.

"Go get 'em, Sokka!"

Sokka charged, and, to his surprise, didn't seem to be getting any attention whatsoever from Toph. The girl was too busy firing her rockets after Azula. For her part, looking tiny from where he stood, she seemed to be deflecting them for the most part.

"We winged her! Awesome!" the other Toph cackled.

Well, mostly. Sokka grimaced. He had to do something about those rockets and fast. The rocket launchers were mounted on her back and moved trailing after their target. Well, he'd get her attention that way for sure, with that big snapping badgermole thing on her rear.

That bomb she nearly exploded on top of herself was still on the ground, precariously positioned. Seemed she couldn't reach it with her stubby arms. At that moment, a crazy idea formed in his head. It was a typical Sokka plan, relying a little too much on chance for even his liking, but it was crazy enough that it just might work.

He snuck over to the bomb, and examined it. Round, black, cartoonish. Exactly what he imagined it to be. Pressure sensitive trigger, too, which just made this all the more tricky. There was a timer on the side. That was good. It wouldn't immediately kill them all, they'd have time to make final words. He always figured his last words would be confessing to his sister that he was the one who used her hairbrush -- it just made his wolftail look so poofy and nice -- but he really didn't want to do that today -- or ever for that matter.

Still, if he could just -- he found a button and pressed it and to his surprise, the numbers on the timer changed, going upward.

Oh, this could work. He grinned, devilishly, as he adjusted the timer and smacked the bomb's trigger with his sword.

The numbers started to climb down. He had to move fast. "Hey! Ugly!" Sokka said, leaping into action, "Leave her alone!"

"Oh, I forgot about you!" she said, turning. The rockets were still firing, that wasn't good, but her attention was now on him, which -- as he thought about it -- wasn't so good either. Spontaneous improvisation would have to see him through this. Unfortuantely, he knew full well just how long he had.

She began to spin up those guns of hers again, "Hey, look behind you, a three headed lemur!"

"Where?" she squealed, turning about face.

Sokka barely recovered from disbelief in time to act. He brought his sword down on the ammo belt, and left the spinning chain guns sputtering without bullets. "Ooh! You tricked me!" she huffed, "That's so mean!"

"Yeah, I know," Sokka said, "Sorry."

"That's not good enough!" Those rockets were still firing. He had to think of something. "I have to punish you now!"

"Oh, I know," Sokka said, eagerly, "You could totally fire those rockets at me!"

"This isn't some kind of trick, is it?"

"Would I be dumb enough to try and trick you twice in a row?" Sokka asked, smiling broadly.

She hesitated, "Y, yes?"

"Of course I wouldn't!" he said, "I respect your cunning too much to try that."

"You're making fun of me!"

"No!" Sokka said, smiling broadly, "Of course not!"

"Turn rockets to target the big meanie-doody head in front of me!" she ordered the Chariot, and the rockets, reluctantly, turned towards Sokka.

"This was not one of my better ideas," he said before breaking into a run.

The rockets collided with the ground, blowing him clear in the explosion. Surprisingly, it wasn't exactly what he imagined when he saw the movies -- it really hurt. His whole body ached, and he wouldn't be surprised if he broke something like that.

Still, everything seemed to be working. And he rose to his feet slowly as the rockets began to reload. Oh, and the bomb was still ticking down, wasn't it? Fantastic. He could barely stand and he was left counting on Azula to pull out some kind of miracle.

Any second now.

He clenched his eyes shut. He couldn't watch.

Someone fired a weapon, he didn't want to open his eyes and see who. "Please be Azula, please be Azula, _please_ be Azula."

"Rockets are offline? But that was a puny little gun! No fair! You cheated!"

"Oh thank you, whoever's listening." He opened his eyes and watched the Chariot turn around to face Azula, who was holstering her gun. "Azula, we don't have much time." He pointed at the bomb as surreptitiously as he could.

She cocked her brow at him. "Looks like most of her weapons are offline."

"Okay, time to deploy the Ultracannons!"

"Or so I thought," Azula hesitated. "We need to get to cover."

"Yes! Thank you!" Sokka said. "I'll get Zuko, he's kind of heavy."

"Heard that." Zuko started to pull himself off the ground, "Hurry it up."

"I'd make some kind of comments but I'd rather not get blown up," Sokka said, pulling Zuko out of the water, "Man, oh man, what are you eating?"

Azula rolled her eyes and pulled Katara off the ground, "Come on."

As they ran, Sokka looked back, hobbling a bit, "Okay,two things, first. One, I think my leg's about to fall off."

"Noted," Azula answered.

"Two, I kind of set up the bomb. You know, for us."

"We're going to need more cover."

The Chariot threw off a layer of its plating, revealing beneath it even more armor plating, this time with large cannons mounted on every edge. They moved about to point forward, shifting the plates about.

"We'll bring this place down around their heads! Fire the Ultracannons!"

"_Warning. Detonation in ten seconds._"

"Wait, what?"

Ducking behind the debris, the shockwave from the cannons firing shot out like a sonic boom. "Katara, do you think you can bend?" Azula asked, quickly. Katara nodded, stretching out her arms. Whatever those shots did seemed to be wearing off, slowly, though she still moved stiffly. "We need to fortify this position!"

"On it!"

In sync, they built up the barrier, cold ice over hard stone masonry. Both shuddered as the first shots started to collide. Besides them they could see parts of the floor blown asunder by the blast. "Hold it!" Azula urged through clenched teeth.

"_Five seconds until detonation. Four. Three_."

"Almost --" Azula started until she turned her eyes upwards. Pieces of the ceiling were raining down. One landed in front of them, torn apart utterly by the constant onslaught. "Not now!"

"_Two_."

They would be crushed before the bomb ever went off. She wracked her brain for answers. Maybe if they pushed the barrier forward?:No, that would be too slow with that masonry stuck in it. The whole cavern was trembling as rocks and pieces of the waterway crashed into the ground.

"_One_."

"Move!" Zuko put his arm around her waist and threw her to the side just as a large jagged rock slammed into the ground where she was standing. "Azula, pay attention!"

"You idiot! The barrier!"

"I've got it, Azula, don't worry," Katara said. "Brace for impact, here it comes!"

"_Detonating. Have a nice day."_

"No fair! No! Fair!"

After the initial explosion, things seemed quiet except for the ringing in their ears. The cavern was cast into a bright light and fragments of stone disintegrated mid-air as they crashed into the radius of the blast.

As the ringing subsided, the other sounds became more pronounced. Cracking, rumbling and screaming as the blast consumed the Chariot and the other Toph inside it. The barrier shuddered violently, cracking and breaking under the force. Fragments rained down on them, and then, just as soon as it started, the blast subsided.

"Is it over?" Sokka wondered, limping over to the corner of the rubble, and peering over. "Is Toph okay?"

"Yeah, I am." The voice was groggy, but the inflection was sharp.

The others turned to Yue and Toph. Yue, dazed and a little shaken, nodded slowly, "Sorry, I, I guess I wasn't much help." Toph started to climb to her feet, and Yue reached to steady her. "Here, Toph --"

"I got it --" she paused, grimacing, "Okay, thanks, Yue."

"You're most welcome!"

Toph rubbed her shoulders, "Where's that other me? I got some words for her."

"Toph!" the group shouted in unison, all thinking the same thing.

"I'm not going to do that again, okay?" she said. "Just help me out here. Can't even get myself oriented here."

"Toph, asking for help?" Katara blinked, "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Yeah, well, weirder things have happened, right?"

"No, no, no! I lost!" the other Toph's voice echoed loudly, drowning into a sobbing fit and then into a loud whine as she bawled into the waters of the resevoir as they slowly drained away into the holes left by the falling rubble.

"Come on," Toph said, holding out a hand, "Let's go talk to her, I guess, and get this over with."

Katara took Toph's hand and led her across the ruined battlefield. She certainly left a path of destruction wherever she went, Azula grinned. "Hey," Sokka said, "The weakness every weapon has is the person using it, right?"

"Knew you'd figure it out eventually, Sokka," Azula said with a grin.

"Yeah, well," he said, "It worked out in the end. Thanks for pulling me out of the fire back there."

Azula frowned. He was thanking her? "If you hadn't thought of using her own weapons against her, we would have lost back there, Sokka. We should be thanking you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Everyone should be thanking me now, you hear that, Zuko?"

He rolled his eyes.

"I wonder what Toph has to say to herself," Yue interrupted.

They leaned forward, trying to listen.

* * *

"Hey, get up," Toph said, pulling some of the debris aside with Katara's help, "So you lost, big whoop. We all lose, right?"

"But, but!"

Toph grimaced, "Okay, so I was wrong. You're me. I get it, okay? I've been trying too hard to be someone because everyone expects me to be something else. So, yeah, maybe I can overdo it sometimes and act way too tough, but you know what else? I'm tough because I'm tough. That's there too, isn't it?"

She stared upward at her, vaguely.

"So, pull yourself up." She grinned, "We're not going to give up just because we lost, right?"

"Toph," Katara ribbed her hard. The other Toph was looking blankly at Toph.

"I'm no good at this feelings thing, okay? You know that. But, if I keep giving up because things get tough, I'm never going to grow up. So, I guess what I mean is, I didn't want to accept that I was too stubborn to grow up."

The other Toph nodded as the shadows subsided around them, taking the childish Toph into them like the receding of the water. Her feet touching the cold stone, she shifted it around, and her eyes seemed to flash.

"I'm proud of you, Toph," Katara said, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey check this out!" Toph slammed her feet into the ground and shot a long fissure across the ground until it tore into the cavern wall. The small quake blew apart an opening hidden in the wall, rubble rolling down the slope inside. "Oh yeah! I'm back!"

Katara rolled her eyes. Some things would just never change.

"Also, I know you're listening, so you guys may as well come out."

"Oh, uh," Sokka said, appearing from behind a large stalactite that punctured the ground straight on. "Congratulations, Toph, you can bend again."

Azula coughed, "We're merely here for -- uh -- moral support?"

Toph crossed her arms, "Yeah, thanks, guys. Real great support. Come on, the exit's down there, right, Yue?"

"I'm so proud of you, Toph!" Yue was brimming with pride. Toph paused.

"Yue! Focus!"

"Oh!" she snapped back to reality, "What was that? The exit? Yes, I think that's the way out. Good work, Toph!"

"Naturally," Toph said, dusting off her hands, "Let's go, team! I'm leading!"

"Well, at least she's moving on from that without a hitch," Sokka said.

"But doesn't that whole ordeal normally leave people incredibly exhausted?" Zuko wondered aloud as Toph fell back first onto the ground.

"Okay, maybe I'll lead after a quick nap," she amended.

"Azula, why don't you help Toph back to the door?" Sokka suggested. Azula gave him a humorless expression. "Hey, you made me do it the whole time we were in here!"

"Fine," she said, "Come on, Toph."

She was snoring.

"I guess she can really sleep anywhere," Katara said with a smirk.

"I'm not carrying her if she's asleep," Azula muttered.

"All right! I'll do it!" Sokka snapped. He lifted up Toph, bridal style, all the while glowering at Azula, "This is the thanks I get for saving us?"

"Well, I think you did wonderfully, Sokka," Yue offered.

"Let's get moving," Azula said. As they started, a low rumble filled the room. Azula looked up, and frowned. "Before the ceiling collapses on us."

The hidden tunnel went deep into the earth, deeper and deeper still as they walked into the blackness. "Wish we had a light," Katara said, "I don't know if we're still going the right way."

"There's only one path," Azula said.

"That we know of," Katara retorted. "Who knows where this leads. We could just end up in another trap."

"Well, we'll have to be careful this time," Azula commented.

"Hey! There's a light ahead," Sokka said, excitedly.

"Perfect!" Katara cheered, running on ahead. Azula squinted at the light, which grow even brighter as they approached until it blinded them justa s much as the darkness. Where were they? She couldn't feel any walls, it all seemed like vast, empty whiteness about. She couldn't even see the others.

"Guys?"

"Sokka?" Zuko's voice was nearby, but Sokka's was further back.

"Where are we?"

"How would we know?" Azula snapped.

"Well, you seem to know a lot, so I just thought," Sokka said, trailing off. Azula grimaced.

"I have no idea, Sokka." She paused, "I sense something nearby."

Azula stared forward, searching, and her eyes caught something, a shadow moving in the light, its blue eyes staring straight at them. "Aang?" Azula startled said, and then, with more confidence, shouted after, "Aang!"

He turned and started into the light, "Wait! Aang!" Katara called out to him, breaking into a run. Azula wouldn't let her get there first. She started to run after.

She pushed on, and her eyes slowly began to adjust, started to see things. There was noise like static on a television, some chairs were arranged around a table, there was a sofa and a desk and a computer and --

She knew this place.

"We're home."

Maybe today was finally looking up.

_To be continued._

_Author's Note: Again sorry for the delay but wow did this go on._ _Maybe the pre-chapter quotes now have some context? Also, a lot of Toph's arc in BMDC used the the song, the quotes are a remix of. Neat factoid._


	16. From Darkness

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"When stars're smiling at moon, wonder how they look in your eyes. If I could ever tell you that, wouldn't I feel so weak -- pray in the heart."_

_- When the Moon's Reaching Out the Stars - Reincarnation-_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 15: **_ From Darkness_

"He's gone."

A shiver ran down Azula's spine, the air in here seemed colder than before. Their surroundings didn't seem affected, but somehow things felt strange. He should be here, they saw him going this way.

"He was so close," Katara continued.

She could see the shadows playing off his face, she could even make out that silly headband he always wore. They'd been feet away and he disappeared, again! Why was he being so elusive? Could he just not face them? Face her?

Or was there something else beneath the surface?

Sokka lay Toph down on the couch and stretched his back out, splaying his hands in the air while yawning. "Okay, we're back, so now what?" The door rattled a bit, and Zuko grunted as he tried with even more force to pull it open. "No luck?"

Zuko shook his head.

"Great,"

"We need to rest up," Azula said, tiredly, "We've been going non-stop through a garden, a desert, and an old water resevoir. Despite the unusual circumstances, I think it's probably best if we all go to our own rooms and try and get some sleep."

"No objections here," Katara said, a yawn still lingering on her lips, "I'm still stinging from where Toph shot me."

Yue spoke up, voice tiny, "What should I do?"

"Oh, that's right, you don't have a room. Wait a second," Katara said, ducking behind the desk, "We've still got the keys to the other rooms for another day before we have to turn them over to the school."

"Turn them over? Why?" Yue gasped. "Are they forcing you out?"

"Yeah, a certain hotheaded delinquent CEO decided it's not really worth keeping this place open next semester. What a jerk, right?"

"Sokka!"

"Why would you do that, Zuko! After all this place has been through!" Yue sounded resolute, and it took Zuko aback. He wasn't used to seeing that sort of fire in her eyes.

"Relax, Yue," Katara said, "Sokka's just being an idiot like usual. Zuko and Sokka are graduating, so it'd be just Toph and me next semester, and two people don't really make up a dorm room."

"But it would be Azula as well," Yue said, weakly.

"Some memories are best off forgotten," Katara added. Azula furrowed her brow. Perhaps this invisible chill came from the feeling of loneliness the boxed up corridors gave off. "We've got the place for one more day, anyway, and now that you've joined us, the party here's finally complete."

Almost, Azula silently amended.

"Yeah, but right now," Sokka rubbed his shoulder, "I think I need to lie down."

"Agreed." Azula started up the stairs. "When everyone is rested we'll figure out our next action." The others seemed to agree and dispersed. The momentary respite, while welcome, seemed strange.

She approached her door and just as her hands touched the knob, she heard a creak. She looked behind her, and saw Katara and Yue opening one of the vacant rooms. The creaking continued even as they stood still.

"Something wrong, Azula?" Katara asked as she headed across the way to her room.

"No. I just thought I heard something."

"Oh."

An awkward pause only made the more-so by the seemingly hallucinatory creaks that were increasing in frequency. "Azula, about earlier."

"What are you talking about?"

"Earlier, in the desert, before the flood and everything," Katara hesitated, "I feel really weird about how blase we're getting over this sort of thing, you know." She laughed, weakly, and Azula exchanged a faltering smile in return.

When her laughter finally ended its brief and pathetic existence, she turned serious. "I said some things earlier that you didn't deserve."

"Whatever are you babbling about," Azula said, narrowing her eyes. "Are you trying to apologize to me for something?"

"I just don't know why Aang chose you for this. We -- I mean, after all we've been through together I thought for certain if he could trust anyone with that, it would be me. After the things you've done, I can't imagine why he chose you."

Azula shook her head, "I don't suppose that's meant to come across as a 'I forgive you' knowing you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

Azula brought her hands up, and shook her head, "Exactly that. Katara, I'm surprised no one ever mentioned that you hold a grudge far too long for your own good. Ten years you blamed the Phoenix Group for what happened to your mother and never once listened to what we had to say."

"You didn't exactly earn our trust by what happened," Katara retorted.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Every single time I started to trust you, you proved to me that I was an idiot for even thinking that. Azula," their steely gazes met, "Don't make me regret this."

Azula had no answer.

Thankfully, she didn't need to give one. Katara took a breath to compose herself and turned around, "Get some sleep, Azula. You'll need it."

Maybe she would when the creaking finally stopped. As soon as Katara closed her door, the creaks stopped, replaced by a loud crash and some shouts from inside her room. Her eyes widened. What sort of creature would have infiltrated her dorm room? All of her suspicions were boiling to the surface.

She threw open her door and saw Xiao amongst a pile of her things that were thrown into disarray. She looked at her bed and then back at Xiao. Muscles spasmed around her left eye, twitching erratically.

"Hi!"

She closed the door and marched towards the small girl, whose smile never once dimmed.

"Is something wrong?"

"What are you doing here!"

Even though she was sure she looked like some sort of demon, hair in a mess, eye twitching rapidly, and her hands barely kept from clenching tight into fists, Xiao did not even seemed phased by her appearance, "I waited here, since it's your room. I wanted to see it!"

"Isn't that precious," Azula muttered. The mysteries surrounding Xiao weren't ones she'd openly discuss with the others, but she couldn't fully explain why. Besides the suspicions abotu her sanity, there was something about her that compelled her to keep silent.

But, if Azula were honest with herself, finding XIao here wasn't much of a surprise. In fact, not seeing her here would have been more unusual. "Your bed's bouncy!"

"I heard," Azula said, literally cracking a smile across her face, "Why are you hopping on my bed, again?"

"Because I could?" she offered, weakly. "But! But I came to talk to you! It's mega-important, okay? So you have to listen to me now."

"All right," and really, what choice did she have? It seemed like the girl was omni-present.

She straightened her black dress and smiled a brilliant white smile, "Good! Okay, now what was it I was supposed to tell you?" She tapped her pursed lips, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Oh! I remember now! It's about the maze. You need to be mega-careful in there now."

As if they hadn't already, but she couldn't exactly say that aloud. The girl was easily upset and if she did have valuable information, she needed to keep her happy. "I will be."

"You don't understand! Those spirits before now were just push-overs. The real thing is deep inside the maze, just waiting to burst out of the darkness, and the closer you get to the heart of the maze, the closer you get to him!"

Him?

"Who do you mean?"

Xiao paused, and looked down, "I can't tell you that. He'll hurt me if he finds out."

"He won't find out," Azula said. She was certain this was it, the first real break she had in figuring out what was going on. "Who is this man?"

"He doesn't have a name," she answered, looking at the blackened windows, "He's like a part of the darkness. When he can reach as far as he can reach, everything will end just like I told you. Before I didn't mind, but now that I've met you, I'm scared of it."

"Is he the one who made this maze?" She needed answers.

"I don't know! But everywhere you go in the maze he'll find you. So you need to be mega-careful. If even a teensy tiny piece of him sees you, you run, okay? Promise me! Promise!"

She held out her pinky, just like a little girl. Azula hesitated and extended hers. Xiao reached up and wrapped their pinky fingers and shook them, "I'll run if things get too rough, Xiao. I promise."

"Yay! I knew I could count on you. You're the best!"

It was strange how they couldn't even see out the windows. It was almost like the building itself was pulled deep into the maze, now. She shut the blinds, unable to look out and sat at her desk. Xiao leaned over her shoulder and looked at the various things on the desk.

"Oooh, who's that?"

"My father."

"He looks strong!"

"He was, once," she responded without thinkng. "He isn't around anymore."

"Oh, that's too bad." The way she said it caused Azula to look over her shoulder at the girl. The rehearsed, unfeeling manner almost reminded her of someone, but who it was she couldn't place. "Who's that?"

"That is from the prom," Azula responded. She turned it over, face down, "That's all I want to say about that."

"Why?"

"Xiao, some things are personal. You shouldn't simply ask people about them and expect them to tell you."

"Was that your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," Azula answered.

"Why not?" Azula stared at Xiao, who smiled right back. Something about the way she smiled, it oozed out insincerity. No, it was more than that. Something far more off-putting, and even a little frightening.

"Why are you asking me that?" Azula continued, level, unfazed by her epiphany.

"No reason! So! When are we going back into the maze?"

"Soon. I need some rest."

"Okay!"

Azula pushed herself out of her chair and walked over to the bed. She stopped when she saw that Xiao rushed ahead of her and leapt into the bed herself. "What are you doing, Xiao?"

"I wanna rest too!"

Azula groaned. "Xiao. That's my bed."

"And since it's yours, I want to sleep in it!" She stared at Azula with bright, copper eyes. "Is it okay, pretty please?"

Azula saw where this was headed. She couldn't refuse. The illusion of choice in the matter was present, but as soon as she refused, that would change and the complex net of conditional scenarios that would ultimately lead to Azula relenting.

It worked wonders on Zuko growing up, but she wouldn't fall for that. "All right." Xiao gave a tired cheer before yawning loudly and closing her eyes.

"Night, night, Azula. I'm glad you're here, I really am."

Her eyelids felt heavy, too, she came to realize, and she rested her head on the bed, her eyelids drooping and finally surrendering to sleep.

* * *

Toph awoke.

Toph waking in the morning was a documented source of seismic activity, as she stamped her feet against the ground happily taking in the little shockwaves as her sight returned to her. Her unique means of seeing the world around her, how she'd missed it.

She could see the little coffee table near the sofa, and the divider between the main hall and the small lounge, and the door and even, if she concentrated really hard and sent a ripple powerful enough, the broken lock in the door.

Like second nature, she observed her surroundings and found them mostly like she remembered them. A bunch of boxes cluttered the halls, but that was okay, she remembered putting them there. She couldn't even sense a giant maze attached to the basement, which was more puzzling than comforting at this point.

Along with her bending returning she felt a feeling of, well, the best word she could think of was relief. Just like she'd finally cast off her book bag after a long day at school. All of the doubts and insecurities she carried but never felt suddenly became all the more obvious because of their absence.

She wasn't feeling tired anymore. Actually, she wanted to hit something. And since she wasn't dumb enough to charge headlong into the maze alone, Sokka would have to do in the interim. The downstairs foyer was empty, so she'd bet they went to their rooms.

Charging up the stairs like a bolt, she found Sokka's room easily enough -- it was the one with the snoring for one thing -- and banged against the door loudly. "Sokka wake up!" she shouted in one long breath.

This did not appear to do anything but cause a momentary pause in the rhythmic saw-sounds coming from behind the door, and that left Toph feeling more than a little frustrated. Well, she could break down the door, but first, she wanted to check something.

The knob turned easy enough.

Saved her having to hear it from Zuko about the dorm property not belonging to her, at least. Good old Sokka, absent minded about pretty much everything. In a couple of months, she'd bet a lot of people at his university would be very interested to know that he doesn't remember to lock his door.

The room is a cluttered mess, but she's able to navigate it with no problems, tossing aside a few of the fluffier and lighter things -- like the Omashu Sabre-Moose Lion mascot doll that constantly found its way to the ground from Sokka's bed from the constant turning -- and coming to the foot of his bed.

Now, how to proceed? Toph had options, she knew. She could obviously do more yelling and banging. She could find some water and splash him. She could locate his CD player in this mess and put on some of his avante garde hipster music on full-bore right in his ear. She could even kiss sleeping beauty to awake him.

Except for the possibly catastrophic repercussions should it actually work, Toph lingered on the last one for longer than she'd care to admit. In the end, she went with the direct approach.

She jumped on his stomach. "Wake up!"

He made a face as he jumped upright in shock and nearly threw Toph tumbling to the floor. "Whoa who what's happening why am I here I was paying attention!"

"Whoa, whoa," Toph said with a laugh, "It's just me, Snoozles. Was bored. Wanted to hit something."

"Was that what that was about?" He rubbed his stomach, "My poor tummy. First it's starved and then it's stomped on."

"Suck it up!"

"Hey, what are you implying!"

"Absolutely nothing!" Toph grinned in an altogether malevolent fashion. "Come on! Let's wrestle!"

"What got into you?" he asked, rubbing out the sleep from his eyes from behind a yawn, "You look like you've got enough energy to power Ba SIng Se for, like, a week."

"Feels like it!" Toph answered, "Come on, too chicken to wrestle me?"

"Yes, dreadfully chicken," Sokka deadpanned his response, laying back down, "Now I am going to sleep until I can match your energy. Good night."

"Sleeping is boring!" Toph said, in a huff.

"Sorry."

"If you were sorry you'd wrestle with me."

"Sorry."

"You're not funny," Toph mumbled. "Come on, I really just want to do something."

"Go bug Katara. I bet she'll wrestle you."

"Nah, she's too girly." Toph crossed her arms and Sokka choked back a guffaw. "What?"

"Katara can be girly, sure, but she can beat me in a wrestling match nine times out of ten. Don't tell her I admitted that, by the way, masculine pride, you know how it goes."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Toph sneered, bristling under insinuation.

"I don't know. Just that you're one of the guys? I'm tired, I'm talking crazy and I think my mushroom friend has decided to go and rendezvous with some circle birds from Katara's little desert maze and we're all expected for tea at Missus Jiji's at four."

"Okay, you're talking too much crazy for even me to stand. Get to bed," Toph grumbled, stomping on the floor.

"Nighty night, Toph," Sokka said dreamily before resuming his snoring. Toph's frustration rose. She needed some way to channel that energy. Her atetntion turned to Aang's room on the far side of the hall. A devilish grin played on her face.

She stomped over and pulled at the door.

It didn't budge.

She could have sworn they left it unlocked, to move the rest of his things out. Not that anyone went in there at all -- only Momo was brave enough to venture into the room up until now. She pounded at it, and still not even a jangle from the handle.

That was not normal.

She bolted downstairs. She knew where Katara kept the set of keys, and rummaged around behind the desk. Despite going through every cabinet, she couldn't find them. She charged up the stairs, still brimming with energy and slammed her fists on Katara's door. "Open up!"

The door opened after a second and a disheveled and wild-eyed Katara opened the door, "Toph? What's wrong?"

"Where are the keys?"

Katara yawned and slouched over, "Toph, why do you need them?"

"Aang's room is locked!"

She seemed to be processing things slowly, and once she finally came to a conclusion, she just stretched and turned around, "I'm going back to bed, Toph."

"Hey! Gimme the keys at least!"

"Good night, Toph."

"Don't try and ignore me! I can stay here all day if I have to!"

Katara turned around slowly, "First off, Aang's door isn't locked, second, I don't trust you with these keys after earlier when you kept locking my door, and lastly, why do you even want to go in there?"

"All excellent points," Toph said, "But I'm serious."

Katara grabbed the keys and stomped out of the room, "Let's make this quick." Toph smiled and leisurely strolled over to the stairs. "Very funny."

"You first, Sweetness."

Katara stared at Toph for a minute before walking down the stairs to the boys' floor. It was still a mess, with Sokka's boxes littered across the floor haphazardly. She'd have to tell him to clean that up once this was over with.

Aang's room shouldn't have been locked. They planned to clean it out, at least, Sokka and Zuko volunteered to do it, since Katara still couldn't bear to enter that room. She was certain she could now, but she still didn't feel it was time.

Toph on the other hand strolled behind, hands behind her head, a big grin on her face, "Come on, weren't we making this quick?"

Of course, Toph couldn't tell her everything about the door.

"Toph, wake up everyone."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

What was wrong? The door! It was covered with shadows.

* * *

She was getting tired of this.

"Can't I just rest my eyes without you popping up?" she said with a yawn.

It was that room again, the one with the indigo shade and the dreamlike quality. It looked maybe only a slight bit different than last time she'd been there, but she couldn't be so certain, since the things around them seemed almost like they blurred together in her memory.

"Sorry!"

Sorry wasn't going to cut it, "Let me guess, you have some sort of helpful hint for me to proceed deeper into the maze."

"Well, yeah," he said, his mask's smile never dimming. "Sort of, I guess. The spirits in the maze are getting restless. They're stuck just like you are, and it's driving them crazy. The longer they're in there, the more this place is affecting them."

"So we'll have to be extra careful?"

"Well, yes," Azula rolled her eyes at his response. He was far too late with that helpful tidbit. "But the important thing is that you remember that something is drawing them in here. It's like some kind of black hole, just consuming everything that it can find."

"So, whatever this thing is, we need to find it and kill it?" Azula yawned, "Well, that's good to know."

"Azula."

"What?"

"Are you feeling okay?" he tilted his head, "I don't know if what's affecting the spirits is having an effect on you, too. All of you could be in great danger the longer you spend here."

"I'm fine. I've never felt better."

"And what about that girl you mentioned, the one who had you sign that contract?" he asked, "Has she appeared to you lately?"

She frowned, "I don't know why I should tell you."

"I don't think you should trust her. Only very few people could have given you a contract like that, and many aren't to be trusted."

"Like you?"

Lee hesitated, before answering, "I know, I know. I wish I could do more than just tell you all of this stuff, but I can't leave this place. I'm putting all my trust in you, Azula. Please, be careful in there."

She frowned. "Tell me, why is Aang running away from us?

"Aang?" Lee sounded shocked, caught completely unawares. "Why is Aang running from you? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever!"

"That's what I thought. I thought he was leading us somewhere, but why wouldn't he just tell us that?"

Lee shook his head, "I don't know what this Aang is up to, but be careful, Azula. Nothing in this maze is what it seems."

"Like I needed you to tell me that." She brushed her hair back, "Is the maze still expanding like before?"

"Yes, at a much faster rate. I'm a little worried, but you're almost there! As far as I can tell, there's only two more of those strange doors that you've been through, but once you've gone through them, you should be near the center of the maze."

"And that's where we want to go, is it?"

"Whatever made this maze should be there, wouldn't you think?" he said, cheerily.

She couldn't exactly disagree with that logic. It was her suspicion as well. "So two more. Sokka and Zuko, I'd think."

"Or maybe one of them is yours," he suggested. She scoffed. She was much more in touch with herself than the others. She didn't create any illusions in her mind about who she was. "It's still a possibility, no matter how weird it may sound."

"I'll keep that in mind."

There was a banging noise.

"You're waking up," Lee said. "Soon, we'll meet outside of these dreams, I think. I can't wait! But, be careful until then, okay, Azula?"

"I'll try,' she said, yawning, "I'll try."

Reality came into focus as the words left her lips. She was laying her head against the bed and her neck felt like it'd been twisted at an odd angle, and no matter how she rolled her neck, it didn't seem to help any.

She looked at the pillow. No one was sleeping in the bed, and it almost looked as though no one had slept in it at all.

She looked at the door, the source of the banging, "Azula! Hurry up! We gotta go!"

"What's happening?"

"Something's funny about Aang's room, so hurry up!"

She sat up and stretched. What could she be talking about, anyway? She brushed her hair out of her face and retied it into its perfectly styled look almost compulsively, and set down the stairs as fast as her feet could carry her.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Toph said once she joined them. "This isn't good, is it?"

She looked at the door and frowned. "Most certainly not." She put her hand to the door. The shadows seemed to let her pass, but when she tried to open the door they held hard and tight, not budging in the slightest, "A barrier."

"Yeah, that's what we thought," Sokka added. "I think the question is who made the barrier."

Azula frowned. Something waiting in the darkness, a darkness that pervaded everything inside the maze, that's what did this. But for the first time the thought crossed her mind that perhaps it was more than simply a force, but instead a being with thought and presence, one that was following their every move in the maze.

"It has to be whatever created the maze," Azula said.

"But why a maze?" Katara asked, "And why seal this door? Is there something on the other side?"

"Well, maybe, let's say, it's like the basement door now, and it leads inside the maze instead of Aang's room," Sokka said. "That's what I thought anyway."

"That makes sense, but that still doesn't explain why make a maze."

"Yeah, that's kind of confusing to me, too," Sokka admitted.

"Lots of things are confusing to you, Sokka," Toph quipped.

Sokka rolled his eyes and dryly laughed, "Very funny, Toph." He closed his eyes and shurgged his shoulders, "Don't know what's with the maze. A tunnel would have made more sense."

The group shuffled their feets while an awkward silence fell on them. "Well this has been a spectacular waste of time," Azula commented. "I suppose we should be ready to move. We don't want to linger in this maze too long, do we?"

A collective shake of heads followed.

"Get yourselves ready quickly. Any last minute preparations, get them out of the way. Sokka, Zuko, you better do some soul searching because there are at least two more of those doors and the quickest way to the center is through them."

The boys met her steely gaze and nodded slowly.

"If there aren't any objections?"

"Why can't we just find our way through the maze?" Katara asked, looking over at her brother with a worried expression, "Toph's other self nearly killed us! If they keep getting stronger --"

"We can handle it, Sweetness," Toph answered before Azula could intercede. "Snoozles and Matchstick aren't going to be half as bad as mine." She grinned, "I'm just that awesome."

"Right," Azula muttered in response, "Regardless, my woman's intuition is telling me that the spirits inside the maze are more deadly than those inside those strange pocket worlds. And so far, we've come out the stronger for our ordeals, wouldn't you agree, Katara? Or would you prefer to be without your bending right now?"

"I guess you're right," she answered, "But it's still dangerous."

"I can handle this, Katara, don't worry."

"I know, Sokka," she sighed, "Let's just be careful, everyone, And let's be positive, too!"

Positive thinking would be of great help right around now, Azula thought. The idea that something lurked in that maze, something born in darkness, just sent a shiver down her spine. She remembered how Sokka described their encounter with Agni.

Sometimes, the darkness that invaded her memories frightened her.

"Zuko?" Azula looked over as Yue approached Zuko, her head bowed just slightly, "Thank you for earlier. I'm sorry if I didn't react fast enough."

He grunted in response. Typical Zuko, too busy with his own internal monologue to pay attention to any dialogue he'd be dragged into.

"And I just wanted to say I'll be more careful in the future."

He nodded. She fretted.

"Yue, with me," Azula said, "I have some things we need to discuss."

"Coming, Azula," she bowed again to Zuko, "Thank you once again," before she rushed after Azula up the stairs. Azula opened the door to her room and started to rummage about the boxes. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

'"Sokka and Zuko, do you think their other selves will be as dangerous as the ones we fought before?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't be," Yue said, "Everyone represses some things. I'm not a psychologist, however."

"Do you think we'll lose?" she asked, more pointedly.

"Oh, heavens no! Not with Katara, Toph, and yourself. I think we're finally coming back together as a team. Everything feels so much less tense than it did when you first found me. Even Katara seems to be opening up to you," Yue smiled brightly, "And I knew you could do it."

"Do what?"

"Come back. I always thought you would. I know the others don't want to admit it, but we were so worried about you when the Tower was destroyed. I never lost faith, and neither did Aang."

Azula winced. "I don't particularly need to know that, do I?"

"I suppose not, but he would want you to know, I think."

Azula winced again. She didn't want to know that he cared. It made things complicated and while she wasn't usually one to shy away from a few complications, they were definitely unwanted in this regard. "Do you think that boy we followed was Aang?"

"I think so," Yue answered, "But I don't understand it. He isn't acting like himself at all."

That was a recurring thread here, Azula observed. She furrowed her brow. So many mysteries, so few answers. "I think whatever we're facing here is dangerous, far more dangerous than any spirit I've ever encountered before."

Yue nodded, "It certainly seems so."

"Any ideas?"

Yue hesitated, before answering slowly, "I trusted Aang to get us through our fight with Agni, and he came through for us then. I trust you will know what to do when the time comes, as well, or else the Avatar Spirit would have chosen someone else."

Doubt was something she didn't need. Of course that was the case. She did not need to wallow over what-ifs and other possible scenarios. She would know what to do because that is who she is. "Thank you, Yue, you're absolutely right."

"But."

Azula's hairs stood on end. She would not contradict the certainty of being Azula. She could not.

"I think all the same, you shouldn't be so distant from everyone. Aang trusted in all of you when the time came, and you gave him strength."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, icily.

"If that's all you needed me for."

"That was all." Azula stared at Yue as she exitted the room, closing the door gently behind her. Relying on others for strength was as good as admitting weakness. Her father would never approve of something like that.

And yet, where was her father now?

These doubts born in darkness bubbled under the surface. She turned back to the boxes and pocketed some ammunition when she found it. She would not be unprepared and she wouldn't doubt herself when the time came.

* * *

Zuko stared at the entrance to the maze, his eyes flickering with some buried emotion. He seemed to be stuck in place, his swords sheathed and slung over his jacket. Moments like this seemed to be more troubling on Katara than they were on him, however.

She couldn't quite place when it happened, when he started to withdraw from everyone in the group. It must have been a month after Aang's -- sleep took hold, she thought, but the change started gradually.

"Zuko?" He looked over at her, the introspective mist in his eyes dispersing as he did. She was certain even he didn't realize he was doing it, regressing to how she first knew him. "Are you all right?"

"Fine."

"You seem out of it." He shook his head. It wasn't unexpected. He always seemed like an oyster-clam, shutting everyone out whenever anyone asked anything remotely personal. "Is it what Azula said, about having to go through more of those things?"

He didn't answer, which she took to mean she'd hit the nail on the head.

"Don't make me do this all over again. I'm not sure I've got the patience to befriend you a third time, Zuko," she said, teasingly. He looked over at her, surprised. "You're acting like we're not here, again."

"I don't mean to," he answered, casting his eyes down like a scolded school boy. "I've just got a lot of things I'm dealing with. The company runs itself, mostly, but people expect me to know what's happening where."

"You are going to university, right?"

He nodded.

"What for?"

He answered, blandly, "Business."

"Oh."

"Someone needs to make sure the company is still running. My family built it up from nothing, I can't just let it fall to pieces because --"

And there, a moment of the Zuko she knew popping out, ended just as suddenly as he realized what he was saying. "Go on," she urged, knowing that it was futile.

"No, never mind. It's nothing."

"Zuko --"

"Everyone!" Azula's shout echoed through the building, "We're moving now."

"Ready, Katara?" Zuko asked, looking up at her. She sighed and let her shoulders slump.

"As I'll ever be, I guess." She looked at the entrance to the maze, the cold stone statues looked misshapen and eroded now, hideous monstrosities that the darkness just made more revolting. "Wonder what else this place can throw at us."

A lonesome howl was her only answer.

_.... It was the first time I really thought about what lie in wait for us in the future. Up until that point, the only thing I worried about was surviving from one turn to the next until we found out way out. The idea that something, someone aware and alert enough to trap us in this labyrinth -- it was terriftying. If I were any less of a person, I think I would have hid in my room._

_Unfortunately there were more immediate concerns waiting inside that maze. The spirits -- or whatever monsters they'd become -- grew more and more deadly with each passing hour, and those doorways lead us into greater and greater danger each time. Even with Toph back on the front lines, I didn't feel very optimistic about what would face us._

_It's funny, though, that the very moment I stopped thinking of this as a game, things landed us into more and more game-like situations. What we would find behind the next door made me believe we had finally lost our senses...._

_To be continued._


	17. The Wolves

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"As I get older, see things slower, my enemies looking like kids and I'm the grown up"_

_- Mass Destruction FES _

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 16: **_ The Wolves_

The labyrinth, still and quiet as a tomb, spiraled on into the blackest reaches on the horizon. The darkness was alive, it breathed in deep the musty, stale air, devouring the dust as it fell through the beams of light coming from the azure flamed braziers held aloft by monstrous sculptures.

"I swear, I heard something."

The Bending Club walked through this endless maze, bickering amongst themselves.

"You're delusional, Sokka."

And though the darkness was alive, it slept, stirring only slightly as their footsteps caught on the passing shadows under the firelight. They were not alone with the darkness. Something moved, keeping low, disturbing nothing but the darkness that lurked underfoot.

"Do I tell you you're delusional, Toph?"

"I'll tell you when I see pink platypus-bears."

"You do that."

No one wanted to say anything. It was funny how things fell back into routine even in these alien settings. The only noises they heard were the slamming sound of stone on stone as the living labyrinth moved.

"I wish that noise would just stop," Yue complained, holding her hand to her breast as the echo of the slamming stones dies to a quiet din. "That one was quite close."

"I hate to point out the obvious," Azula added. She pointed at the statue to their left, "We've been going around in circles." They just stared at the statue for a minute before realizing Azula'd already continued down the corridor.

"But that's impossible!"

"Deal with it, Sokka," Azula sniped, not even turning her head, "This maze has led us in circles."

"It doesn't make any sense!"

"Shall I recap for you the events that have transpired today? The one where I apparently came back from the dead, entered a maze that apparently got built in your basement while you weren't looking, found a garden, a desert, and an old water reservoir, and fought out of control evil versions of some of our companions all while finding the time for some time travel? I think we left sense a long way behind."

"Game set and match," Sokka moaned. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down the corridor, "Haven't we been down this way before?"

"Perhaps, it's hard to tell. All these corridors look alike."

"What's wrong, Sokka?" It's Katara, attempting to be the voice of reason. Sokka doesn't respond immediately, instead he focused on the shadows that ebbed and flowed in rhythm to the crackling of the flames.

Finally he spoke, his tone uncertain. "There's just something strange about this hallway, that's all."

He didn't know how else to describe it. The shadows seemed to have prints in them, like the kind the tundra wolves left back in the South Pole. However, it wasn't on the stone at all, the print was left on the shadows themselves, leaving behind an absense of darkness.

"Guys, I really have a bad feeling about this. Yue, you sure you don't sense anything."

"If I did, you would be the first to know, Sokka."

"He's gone nuts, I swear," Toph butted in, throwing her hands into the air.

"I just don't want us to be caught off guard. Remember last time, that weird monster that trapped us in the zombie school?"

"They weren't zombies!"

"They were close enough, Zuko! And before that, we had that weird shadow monster that we all ran away from as fast as we could. We're rushing along all without thinking about a plan and I think we should stop and be careful about it."

"Again, noted, but we don't know what we're about to encounter. Relax, Sokka," Azula frowned, putting her hands on her hips, "I have things under control." She turned back to walk further down the corridor only to find it stopped suddenly. She uttered with a perfectly level and reasonable voice, "Why must this maze continue to undermine my authority?"

"Okay, we're fine," Katara said, "Let's just stay positive. It probably just closed on us while we were talking. It's nothing to worry about."

Before she could say anymore, the baying cry of a wolf that found its meal echoed down the corridor. The human-shaped mask on its wolf-like snout seemed out of place on the sleek, sable spirit, its monstrous maw with hundreds of sharp canines dripping with slobber. The only thing that made it stand out amongst the dark were two long, blue stripes on either side.

"I knew it! Pessimism one, optimism el zilcho. And I got a feeling that pessimism's going to end up on top!"

"Is that optimism or pessimism."

Sokka's face fell, "I don't know."

"I don't think we can get past it," Azula observed. The spirit prowled across the width of the corridor, watching them without eyes, its jaw snapping huingrily. "Yue, do you have any ideas?"

"It certainly seems hungry."

"Not especially helpful," Azula commented, "We need to fight."

"Finally!" Toph shouted. "Time for the world to know that Toph Bei Fong is back in action!"

"Be careful, we don't know what it can do." Sokka stood ready to fight, but Toph pushed him aside "Hey!"

"I've got this, okay?" Toph spread her legs into a wide stance and grinned, "I've been waiting forever to really get into a real brawl."

"Don't underestimate it, Toph."

"I agree with Sokka, Toph. You're out of practice, and a dire wolf is a dreadful thing to fight," Yue urged.

"We'll be your back-up," Katara said, "Just in case."

Toph rubbed her nose, and grinned, "Like I'll need it, but thanks, Sweetness." She moved with as much speed as she could muster, tearing the stone of the maze asunder as the earth beneath it jutted out like massive spikes.

The wolf spirit leapt atop one and over to another, charging at Toph. Its jaw opened wide and it flew into the barrage of stone that Toph throw at it, crushing a stone brick in two with a snap. It stopped on the ground, falling backwards a step and shaking its head.

It snarled as the ground shuddered again, parts of the floor collapsing underfoot. Toph slammed her feet into the ground, twisting them slightly as she did. The wolf spirit steadied its footing as the ground underneath him fell, and then leapt for the wall, leaping off of it and down behind Toph.

He ignored the others, focusing on the only one it deemed a threat at the time. It left is flank wide open, and Sokka's hands reached for his sword. A lone wolf wouldn't last very long against a team of hunters.

It lunged at Toph, and Toph reached out to punch at it, covering her fists in stone as they flew up. The two collided in air. The wolf spirit tore at the stone-covered hands with its jaw but found itself slammed into the wall.

"Take that!" she shouted, throwing it aside. It lets out a weak howl before it fades into the darkness.

Sokka did not relax. While everyone else seemed to grow less tense, Sokka couldn't shake off the feeling that it was all too easy. One wolf wasn't much of a threat to a properly trained human. Only a very desperate or very stupid wolf would do that.

The baying howl echoed again. Wolves hunt in packs, after all. "We need to run. Now!"

Azula turned to Yue. Her eyes were glowing brightly and they widened slowly, "Far too many. At least twenty! More are approaching!"

"This is very, very bad!" Sokka urged, "Run!"

"I'm going to agree with Sokka on this. We need to hurry!" The sound of the coming pack echoed ominously down the corridors as the maze itself stretched out physically in front of them, the nearest wall moving thirty meters away in a matter of seconds.

Their shadows played off of the wall, mixing with the darkness that permeated every inch of the labynrinth.

Running away from something in a maze is not simple, however, and they turn around a corner only to see more shadows playing off the distant walls, growing long as they prowl across the corner. "Which way do we even run to?" Azula asked, "Any suggestions, Sokka?"

"What are you looking at me for?"

"We need to fight," Zuko grunted, "We won't get far if we keep jumping at shadows."

"It's kept us alive pretty great so far, buddy."

"They're closing in!" Yue said, "They're blocking off all paths."

"So, we either fight our way past, or we get surrounded," Zuko muttered, "I say we take the fight to them."

"There's got to be a safer way to do this, Zuko."

"He who dares, wins," Zuko retorted.

"He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day, Zuko!"

"Would both of you stop!" Azula shouted, "Yue, points us towards the weakest group of these things. We'll push our way through that way."

"I'm not sure," she answered, searching down each passageway, "Each seems to have quite a few, and they're very, very powerful."

"Pick a way, then," Azula answered, "We're fighting through."

"Azula, this is a bad idea. My instinct's telling me we shouldn't --"

"Your idea seems to be praying for a miracle, Sokka,"

"It's not putting us right into a pack of wolves and hoping we come out okay!"

"Guys," Katara's voice seemed quiet compared to the shouting, "Just stay calm. I'm sure it'll work out okay."

Then came the low rumble, like a dull roar under the floor. It grew and grew until it seemed like an earthquake. Everyone immediately turned ot Toph. "What?" she asked, "You think this is me?"

"If it's not you," Sokka stuttered, "Then who is it? Oh please, oh please don't be the wolves."

Charging through the corridors, the wolves seemed to pour out of every passageway, slobbering and snarling as ravenous and dire as the first, "This is bad," Azula observed, idly. "What to do about it."

"You've got an idea?"

"Working on it, Katara," Azula looked over at each pack, counting. One jumped to the fore, prowling slowly over. "Find the path with least resistance and make a dash for it."

"Easier said than done," Zuko muttered. "Get ready. Here they --" The wall suddenly jolted outwards, slamming the alpha wolf into the wall with a sickening crack. As it disintegrated into shimmering blackness, the rest of its pack fell into disarray. The rumbling grew louder. Parts of the earth below shot up like arrowheads, tearing some of the pack into two shadowy blobs.

The floor gave way under the shaking, the Bending Club plunging along with stone and bricks, statues turning to dust as they crashed against the remains of the floor. The wolves snapped afterwards, but the walls closed in around them.

* * *

The fall seemed to last much longer than it must have been, Azula reasoned, as she barely felt like she fell at all. The only pain she felt was the slight aching of her sides. Besides the rubble around them, they landed in a corridor almost identical to the one they fell from.

"What happened?" Toph grumbled.

Yue dusted off her white gown with a dazed look on her face, as she tried to process what happened. She muttered, "Did someone just save us?" as she finally stood up. "Is everyone all right?"

"Just a little dizzy," Katara answered, pulling herself up from the rubble, "Does anyone need me to --"

"Nah, we're good," Sokka said, staring at the ceiling, "Not even a hole."

"Oh, get up!" Katara huffed, kicking at Sokka's sides.

"Ow!"

"I didn't hit you that hard, you big baby."

"But you hurt my feelings, sis." He stretched out along the floor, "Really, though, there's no hole in the ceiling. Either this place has some awesome repair guys on staff, or the maze really is alive. Creepy."

"It's like the Tower," Katara answered, shivering, "It'd always change, remember? I saw it change once. it was like it turned from a building into a living creature for a minute. I'd rather not get trapped inside a place like that again."

"Too bad," Azula muttered.

"Hey, quiet!" Toph put her hands to the ground, "Yeah, someone's definitely here."

"Do you have any idea who?"

"If I knew that I would have said, Snowflake. Come on!"

"You just want to rush right in?" Yue looked about flustered, "Toph, I think we should take this a little bit more carefully."

"Hey, she who dares, wins, right, Zuzu?"

"Don't call me that."

"Whatever, come on!" She took off like a bolt down the corridor, and the others had no choice but to follow her. The hall was covered with statues of monstrous or corrupt looking human beings, transformed and disfigured.

"How far away is this person?" Sokka wondered.

"Not far, come on! They're getting away!"

"Okay, okay, no time to admire the creepy statues, I guess."

"Yep," Toph said, turning around a corner. "There!"

Toph pointed ahead at the lonesome, shadowy figure that walked down the long corridor, approaching a large and obscured statue. It turned its head to stare at them with blue, shimmering eyes.

"Aang?" Azula found herself short of breath. Him again, so close that she could almost reach out and touch him.

"Aang, wait! What's going on?" Katara asked, approaching him. But even as she approached him, he somehow kept himself in front of her, moving far faster than her sprint at a leisurely strolling pace. "Aang!"

He stopped and looked at her.

"What is it?"

He didn't speak, but his eyes seemed to bore through her to her core. She squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny. Azula, tempted to run up to them, found her feet planted by some alien compulsion in her head.

"Aang, are you trying to lead us somewhere?"

The shadowy figure paused, and then slowly turned around. It was almost as though he was inviting them to follow him deeper into the maze. As he walked, Azula felt her legs finally obeyed her and she dashed after him. "Aang, wait. I -- I have things I need you to answer," she said, weakly, "I need to know."

He didn't even pause, nor turn his face to look at her.

"Azula," Katara looked at the girl with a commiserating glance. "We need to follow him."

"Yes, of course," she said, her voice level and free of disappointment. "Let's go."

The baying howl of wolves echoed in the distance. Sokka's face turned white, "Why is it everytime we run into him, spirits decide to show up? If I didn't know any better I'd say he was leading them right to us."

Zuko rubbed his chin and uttered a low hum, but said nothing.

"So we follow him faster," Toph insisted. "Come on!"

The darkness of the maze grew in strength the further they walked down the corridor, the statues turning more and more grotesque, their faces barely containing even the slightest shreds of humanity in them.

Aang disappeared around a corner and when they turned to follow him, all they found was pitch darkness. Only a slight crack of light pierced through.

The wolves cries grew closer. "Hurry!" Sokka cried but Toph grabbed him. "What? What did I do?"

"You almost fell into a pit," she said. "This whole hallway's a mess. Follow me, slowly." She started down the far edge of the wall, and shimmied across it. The others watched her, carefully. "You guys coming?"

"I don't see any pits," Katara said, leaning down and feeling the ground. Solid, cold ground greeted her as she patted the ground until suddenly, as she went to pat the ground, her hand just continued to go down. She nearly screamed.

"See now?" Toph said from the other side. "Come on!"

So with no other choice left, they shimmied after Toph, one after the other. Sokka curled his toes in distrust of what he was told, but when his toes didn't exactly touch anything, he quietly acted as though his yelp of surprise didn't happen.

Azula moved across last, letting the others move ahead of her. She looked impatient as Yue crossed. The wolves were getting closer by the minute. Once Yue'd finally crossed she followed, shimmying across as quickly as she could.

The wolves burst into the corrider, sliding across the ground as they turned. While before the pack was massive, now, only a few remained. Desperate, angry, and hungry, they turned their attention onto the group, slobbering as their tongues hung out, black on black in the dark corridor. "Azula," Katara hissed, "Hurry."

Their attention turned to Azula, who clung to the wall as they chose between their prey.

The lead wolf leapt across, snarling at the others and snapping its jaw. "Azula!" Sokka shouted. He drew his blade and swung at the wolf. It yelped as an inky substance oozed from the cut, and then howled at the others.

They snarled, backing down only momentarily until one bounded across, baring its fangs at Sokka, letting them gleam hungrily.

"Uh oh, guess they didn't like that."

"So what!" Toph said, slamming her feet to the ground, "I'm all for a little more exercise! Come on Katara!"

"Right!"

The wolves leapt across the chasm, their feet landing firmly on icy ground. Katara grinned, letting the momentum of their landing carry them across the platform. They snapped and barked angrily until their hind legs didn't stand on anything any longer.

One of them fell, its howl echoing up the chasm as it descended, but the other, moving quicker, pushed off the ice and leapt onto the wall of the pit and leaping back up, only to feel the ground underfoot shudder.

"Buh-bye," Toph said, shifting her feet slightly. The wolf's pathetic yip came seconds before the earth slammed it upwards and into the pit. "Ha! How was that, Katara?"

"Don't get cocky, that's only two of them."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever,' she muttered.

In this confusion, Azula scrambled onto the platform and regained her composure. It was more of an annoyance than outright fear, but she was just a little shaken up. The wolves were bouncing about, nearly invisible in the blackness, if not for the gleam of blue across their sides or the small masks on their faces.

So she reasoned she had every right to have enough adrenaline pumping through her to kick her survival instincts into overdrive. She steadied herself, and grinned, she'd just have to pay them back for the inconvenience.

The remaining three circled around, their haunches tensed and raised, all looking about ready to snap at any second.

"They don't seem very happy," Yue observed. "How dreadful."

"Let them come," Azula said, bringing her hands up into a loose stance, "If they dare."

Outnumbered, the pack looked to each other and with an imperceptible communication, they moved as one to strike. Toph repelled the first with ease, but the second pounced on Katara, pinning her to the ground, its jaws snapping close enough that she could smell the rot on its breath.

The last one struck at Sokka, its claws colliding with Sokka's sword, sending it flying from his hand. "No!"

He reached to grab it, but the wolf picked it up in its jaw and leapt away, passing closer to the sliver of light. "Give me that back!" Sokka shouted after it.

"Help!" Katara squeaked as the wolf snapped its jaw angrily at it.

"Katara!" Sokka fumbled for his boomerang helplessly, but as soon as he grabbed it, Zuko was already there, throwing the wolf off with his bare hands. "Thanks Zuko, I owe you."

Zuko nodded. "You okay?"

"Fine," Katara said, "He just got the jump on me."

"We need to go after that, that thief! He took my sword!"

"I think we should be worrying about the other one, Sokka," Katara suggested, and turned around. Azula and Toph were already attacking it. The worlf's yelps of surprise at the assault were made only more comical by its realization that it hadn't anywhere else to run to.

It snarled and lunged desperately at Azula, who drew her gun from its holster and shut as soon as it approached. Point blank, burning gunpowder on its muzzle, and a bullet through the mask -- the wolf fell to the ground, dissolving into the darkness.

"Okay, never mind," Katara's shoulders sagged.

"Okay, I got to admit, that was pretty cool, Azula."

"Thank you, Toph. Excellent work on predicting its movements. It made cornering it that much simpler," she said, placing the gun back into its holster. "Wasn't there one more?"

"It ran off with my sword!"

"Borrow one of Zuko's, then."

"Hey! Don't volunteer people for things like that!" Zuko shouted.

"You don't have to act so picky about it," Azula shrugged. "Let's move. Toph, lead the way. We have a felonious wolf to track."

"Well at least following its track is easy," Katara said, pointing to the paw prints made in the shadows.

"Except for the giant pit right in front of us. This way," Toph started off down a way, "Careful, this thing's about as narrow as it comes." She placed one foot in front of the other, walking the passageway as if she were walking on thin air.

"I must admit I don't think I'd make a very good tightrope star," Yue said as she stared at her feet, crossing, "Are you certain this is the only way?"

"One-hundred percent. We're almost there, guys, come on!"

She urged them across and despite Yue's cries of surprise at every step, they made it across with no real danger. And there, across the way, at the end of the sliver of light, was a door. "Figures," Azula smirked, "Another door."

"Wonder whose this one belongs to?" Yue mused. "It's door number one."

"Funny how these doors are all out of order. Eighteen, two, six, now one." Azula tapped her chin ponderously, "Yes, I think there's a reason for this."

"We need to find my sword first."

"Please stop going on about your sword, Sokka," Azula said, "It's not proper."

He was about to protest when the meaning came across. "You're a very bad person, Azula. Very, very bad."

"There's nowhere else that wolf could have gone, anyway, Snoozles. Chill about the sword for a sec," Toph muttered. "So, we just whip out the key and then away we go, huh?"

"Away we go, indeed," Azula said, producing the key from her bag. "Well, are we ready for whatever we might find."

"After what we've seen, nothing's going to surprise me," Sokka said. "I just want to get my hands on that thieving mutt!"

"In due time, Sokka," Azula said. She placed the key to the door and watched the room light up. The pits, the statues, everything was bathed in light, their monstrous visages staring at them expectantly, their mouths twisted into malicious smiles.

"This is a not-good hallway," Sokka said.

"Well, let's get out of it, then," Azula said. She opened the door, the light within blinding.

"Here goes nothing." Sokka steadied himself and stepped through the door. And then all he felt was --

"What the --"

* * *

The old man said to Sokka, "SOKKA my boy, there you are." Though, in all honesty, Sokka couldn't actually say he said any of that. It was more like words being thrown into his head and processed like he were reading them.

Add to it the fact that the old man looked very, well, very generic was the best word for it. He could see someone who looked exactly like the old man walking in the distance. It was -- it was uncanny.

It was also weird that there were people here.

It was also weird that here was apparently made up of a lot of blocks of very similar colors. Shadows weren't exactly all that dynamic, either, most of them being big black circles underfoot, like his own. A big black circle underneath a dork in a green costume.

Which was another thing. He didn't remember changing his clothes. Why was he in this ridiculous green number, anyway? The tunic was okay, but the hat was a disaster.

"Uh, sorry, do I know you?"

"Your friend was just asking about you. You should probably go see her. What was her name? The pretty girl with the anger issues."

"Azula?"

"That's her name, AZULA."

"You want me to go find Azula?"

"She said she'd meet you at the usual spot."

"I don't even know what you're talking about. Who are you? Why do I feel like I"m having a one-sided conversation."

"Also, your sister told you to be back by supper. Oh, what was her name --"

"Are you going senile? What about Katara?"

"KATARA, that was it."

"Why do you shout everyone's name like that. It's really kind of obtrusive."

"Well, I won't keep you any longer, my boy. Go get 'er."

"First off, yuck, second off, I keep asking you questions and you keep ignoring me. What is with you?" The old man didn't respond. Sokka decided to get his attention. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"Well, I won't keep you any longer, my boy. Go get 'er."

"I'm going to get the same response no matter what I do, aren't I?"

"Well, I won't keep you any longer, my boy. Go get 'er."

"Brilliant." Well, with no other choices, he headed further into the strange, pixelated town. Everything was very blocky, especially the buildings, all of which were built in a peculiarly plotted manner. The distance between them was great, and some of them were lacking any doors whatsoever.

"Great. Well, what is our usual spot, anyway?"

"Looking for AZULA again? She's down by the old ruins, like usual. Be careful, though, I hear they're haunted."

"Who are you? How did you know I was looking for Azula --"

"Looking for AZULA again?"

"Stop that!" Unfortunately, it didn't look like this woman was going to give him any directions. He came to that conclusion after she continued blabbering in his head about that even after he walked away. The disturbing ramifications of these strange idiosynchrosies were already welling up in his head.

"I'm just going to guess it's this way and see where it leads me," he announced to no one in particular, hoping that no one was going to suddenly start telling him how tough times are, or how particularly evil some great villain from the past who was totally dead forever was.

Oh he did not like where this was going.

* * *

It wasn't that Azula disliked dresses. She knew how to use her looks to her advantage, and she would be the first to admit that she had a soft spot for the more glamorous appeal they provided. It was just that she didn't find dresses particularly, well, particularly practical for running around a damp, mysterious dungeon.

Which was why she was puzzled as to why she found herself sitting in front of said damp, mysterious dungeon wearing a red dress and with her hair in a ponytail, if whatever travesty of fashion her hair was put up into could be called a ponytail.

She wasn't going to scream out in rage at the situation.

She wanted to explore, but for some reason she found herself tethered to the rock that she was now resting on top of. She couldn't get more than three feet away from it, and she tried. She really did. Moreover, she didn't even know where here was. Or why all the trees looked the same or why a forest had so many trees that looked like they were painted onto a flat surface.

Blocky, and ugly green trees.

She knew exactly who to blame for this. She knew it in her heart of hearts.

"Sokka, when I find you --"

"You find me what?"

"This is all your fault!"

"Sorry -- what happened to your hair. It's all -- complicated."

"Thank you for observing that. I came to that conclusion by the time I saw that my hair suddenly grew ten feet and had braided itself into a ludicrously complicated pattern. What are you wearing."

"Heroing gear. For heroing in."

"Fantastic."

"I know what you're thinking, and --"

"Oh, I'm sure you do."

"I just want to apologize in advance. How was I supposed to know my subconscious was a video game?"

"Anyone who has ever met you knows that. Except you, of course," she muttered, putting her head in her hands, "I couldn't move from this spot. Let me guess, I'm going to be a 'party member' and you're going to be the leader. This could not get any worse."

"Well, I mean --"

"Don't even think it." She looked at her clothes again, "How did we end up like this?"

"I don't know, don't look at me!"

Azula frowned. The darkness inside the labyrinth must be getting stronger. Peculiar. She didn't want to imagine what it could do if it get any stronger. "Sokka, we need to find everyone and get to the bottom of this."

"You're telling me! Katara's in town, apparently I'm supposed to be back by supper. According to some weird old guy. Come on."

He started off and Azula watched him for a minute. A video game, why did it have to be a video game. Steeling herself, she dashed after him, only to find her entire body lurch back. "Sokka! Don't leave me behind! You idiot!"

_Do you want to save?_

_To be continued..._.


	18. The Anguished Adventure

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Nobody's toppin' me (You know it, damn right), most of y'alls lovin' me (Doing it all night)."_

_-- Mass Destruction FES_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 17: **_The Anguished Adventure_

Not all mazes were made of walls. Some entrapped you within words and puzzles and lies and sleight of hand, creating the illusion that you were going forward when in fact you'd taken a turn and were now proceeding back to the beginning.

Bleeps and bloops, and pixels and blocks and things, what manner of maze was this that she found herself in? Well, where does one even begin. Azula Houou, second year at the Phoenix Center school, former student president, former comatose patient of the Sozin Memorial Hospital, and currently, well, currently in a manner of dress that seemed both anachronistic and inappropriate.

"Why are you fiddling with those zippers?"

And of course, she couldn't forget Sokka Floes, the green suited hero of this merry band of adventurers -- as merry a band as two can make at any rate. Somehow he got off lightly, with a tunic and cap, and she was stuck with this aberration of modern fashion. Mai would probably love it, she realized, but that girl never had any taste in her anyway.

"Why are there zippers here? I can't possibly think of any reason I'd want to unzip them."

"I dunno, it looks kind of cool," Sokka shrugged and it did little to help her mood. He obviously didn't understand that she didn't sign up to be the weakling little sidekick character. Her limited -- she'd stress the limited part -- experience with these sorts of adventures made her even more squeamish about the role.

"Whatever. Listen, we need to find the others quickly as possible. Please tell me you at least have an idea what house Katara is in."

"Well, about that."

"Sokka!"

"Don't look at me, it's not my fault!" Unfortunately, he was right and she couldn't exactly righteously vent her anger at him. The town, if you could call this collection of pixelated blocks with doors painted to the front a town, contained a series of identical houses. Admittedly, only a few had any entry point that she could see but the perspective on the town was strange enough.

"My patience is at an end. Find this house quickly, Sokka."

"Well, it'd help if you'd look out for it --"

Azula stood perfectly still and watched him pointedly as he walked off. He turned and stared at her. "Oh, keep walking. I wanted to prove a point." He slowly walked backwards, nearly knocking himself into a wandering townperson -- she'd mentally filed it categorically: Woman Type B, Hair Red. She could feel things getting -- well, the best way she could describe it was tight -- before she suddenly flung forward propelled like by a bungie.

She bumped right into Sokka as a result. "Hey, ow," he said, rubbing his head. "What was that for?" She shook her head slowly.

"Still don't get it, do you? This is a video game, remember?"

"You mean you and me are stuck together like this? Oh this is fantastic --"

"Yes, I was thinking precisely the same thing."

"Not that you're bad company, it's just, well, you're kind of pushy and --"

"Keep digging, Sokka, keep digging. Six feet is a long way down."

"Well, I didn't mean it like -- what do you mean six feet?"

"Why don't you keep going until you find out?" She crossed her arms and smirked. He seemed to regret the conversation immediately. "Weren't we looking for your sister?"

"Oh yeah! Hey, which way to my house, again?" he asked a random passerby. Well, it was one way of finding their way around this ramshackle village.

"About a year ago, a great hero appeared and saved us all, but then, after the final battle, he disappeared. I wonder what happened to him..."

"That was less than helpful," Sokka said, "Still, it's a good idea to talk to everyone, you never know what you'll miss if you don't."

"I heard."

"You played these games before?"

"Hardly. Once or twice I indulged in them, but they're not particularly my thing. I did try the newest Dragon Champion --"

"--It's not the newest anymore --"

"Let me finish, Sokka. As I was saying, I tried it, but only to see what the fuss was about. The lines in the electronics district are hard to ignore."

"Yeah, I waited in line for that one like six hours to get a copy," he laughed, as if his wasted time was something to be proud of. "So, what did you think?" Overly simplistic, with two-dimensional characters, and a plot that projected itself from the moment she read the manual -- by the time she reached the ending she'd already figured out every little twist the plot took.

"Never did see it coming, I mean, the staff!" he said so enthused by the story. She sighed heavily and shook her head.

"I liked the green one."

"You're weird." She couldn't even find words to respond. "Anyway, let's ask around and see if we can't find someone who knows something."

"It can't take that long to find the right house."

"Trust me, Azula, these games can be finicky, sometimes. They're tricky like that. Yeah, we could find the house but who knows what events we're supposed to trigger before we can take Katara outside of it."

"That's ridiculous, Sokka."

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing, okay?"

"You found AZULA all right, then, SOKKA?" The way that old man spoke was annoying enough, almost like bleeps and bloops that she didn't know how she made sense of, the modulation of his voice even stranger and unnatural. "It's dangerous to go alone, SOKKA, take this."

It materialized out of thin air, off-color blocks appearing and forming in the shape of a wooden sword. Sokka looked at it and swung it around. It made a strange noise that didn't exactly sound much like a sword being swung. "Uh, thanks. What's this for?"

"I wish I knew," Azula muttered. The old man simply continued speaking.

"With all these wolf attacks in the region, if you two are going on another of your adventures, you'd best be prepared." Sokka's eyes lit up. The wolves from before were seen inside this maze? It seemed almost too good to be true.

"Sokka, you don't know if it's the same one."

"You're right, you're right." He grinned, "I can still hope, though."

He was just going to be like that, she supposed, and just let it slide. "Let's go find your sister, Sokka. I don't think I can take the unfiltered you much longer."

"You'd be surprised how often I get that."

"Wolves!"

"Oh, something's going on," Azula heard the old man say, and she rolled her eyes. A wolf attack seemed to fit with what Sokka was saying earlier. It wouldn't be so simple as going straight towards the goal. The adventure, she loathed to admit,was the journey.

"We should go see!" Sokka took the lead with the enthusiasm of a puppy, leaping headlong into danger without even a second thought. This made it all the more difficult for Azula to stop him.

"We need to take this slowly, Sokka, we can't just rush in without being prepared -- Yah!" And yet, she was pulled along by the invisible leash tying the two of them together. She would need to find a way to correct this before too long, she ruefully thought as she ran across the pixellated ground, cutting the taller grass up as she passed by.

"There!"

In the middle of town, a fearsome wolf stood snarling and standing atop its prize while the rest of the town people stood in a frightened circle about the creature. "This is just sad," Azula snidely commented, pulling herself up. "What's a lone wolf doing attacking a town? It makes no sense."

"Hey, that's Katara!" Sokka grabbed his wooden sword tightly in his hand, "And I'd know that thief anywhere. Great, first he takes my sword, then my sister. Will he not rest until he has all of my stuff?"

"Priorities, Sokka, priorities."

"What? Oh, right!"

He brandished his sword as he ran towards the wolf. The beast barked fiercely at him as he approached and lunged. The sword and the beast met with a terrible crash. And the wolf stepped back. Moving in a circle around Sokka. "Uh, aren't we supposed to take turns?" he wondered.

"Apparently not. Sokka, be careful!"

She thrust her hands out just as the beast lunged again, a blast of air pushing it back with a welp. "So, we don't get a neat turn based combat system in my role-playing game maze? Totally feel gypped now."

"I would rather not spend the next few hours waiting for the right time to strike," she retorted."Let's take this as a blessing and keep moving."

"You're right. Though I really really wish I had a better sword," he said, swinging the bulky, blocky weapon about twice. "Okay, wolfy, time to turn you into a new parka."

The wolf howled angrily and stumbled forward. "Don't just stand there, Sokka." She hovered about in her airbending stance, looking impatient, "We don't have to wait our turn, remember?"

"I know, I was pausing for dramatic effect."

And it was then and there that her worst fears were confirmed. This place was going to be the death of her one way or another, and there was nothing she could do to escape. He twirled his sword around and brought it high over his head.

"And stay down!"

The wolf welped in pain as it vanished into black smoke and blocky pixels, leaving nothing behind but the mask, which soon dissolved into shadows. Sokka held his sword up high in victory.

_SOKKA has defeated Lone Wolf. SOKKA has reached the 2nd level. SOKKA learned Overconfidence! SOKKA learned Bravado!_

"What was that?" a shiver ran down Azula's spine. Having words shoved into her brain had that affect on people, she reasoned.

"I don't know. Weird," he rubbed the back of his head, looking around, "Maybe we should check on my sister."

"Good idea." She hurried over. Katara was dressed much more conservatively than Azula was, and her hair was largely untouched. A wave of jealousy overcame Azula. Katara always seemed to get the breaks. Blue blouse and long skirt, with one too many belts around her waist since that seemed to be the fashion -- Azula's own belt was a zipper, and she was in a dress of some sort -- and she seemed to be okay, not even any teeth marks left.

"Huh," she stirred as they approached, "What hit me?"

"Katara, are you okay?" Sokka asked.

It took her a few minutes to register what she was seeing, and once it finally came together, all she could do was stifle back a guffaw. "What are you wearing? Azula, you look like you lost a bet!"

"At least my skirt doesn't have a hundred buckles on it."

"What are you talking about?" She finally seemed to notice she was also in a new change of clothes, and examined it curiously, "Who -- who changed my clothes?"

"We don't know. Kind of just ended up here like this."

"Why do I get the feeling this is your fault, Sokka."

He looked sheepishly at Azula, who just rolled her eyes and let the siblings continue. "Anyway, now that we're here, we need to figure out which way the adventure's going to lead us next. I bet it's going to take us into those ruins where Azula was."

"Why don't we just go there right now? Where's everyone else?"

"No clue. It's not a very big village, but I haven't seen them. What about you, Azula?"

"No idea," she said, looking towards the forest they came from, "Perhaps we should make time to investigate these ruins after all, Sokka."

"Okay, let's go!" Sokka began to charge off towards the ruins, head held high in the air, all the while ignoring Azula's tired pleading and Katara's confused, shocked welp as she found herself pulled back to the spot.

* * *

The Ruthless Ruins, as Zuko had been informed that they were called, carried deep under the ground, a massive labyrinth of bright grey stone blocks lit by poorly pixelated braziers and with an occasional pillar in an occasional large, empty room.

He'd been here for -- well, one loses track of time when there are no day-night cycles -- and while he'd been there for a while, he was certain, he wasn't quite so certain what he was going down there. Actually, a lot of things left him uncertain.

The large, unwieldy katana being one of them. Who thought this was a good idea? He shook his head. It looked like something from one of Sokka's video games.

Which is why he made a mental note to thank Sokka for this profusely when he found him, and by thank, he meant pummel.

Having counted every block in the room, he finally just settled on sprawling on the ground and taking the weight off his incredibly bulky black armor. "Typical," he grumbled, "I must be the bad guy."

"Zuko! I finally found you! I'd been trapped in this room and -- why are you dressed like that, Zuko?" Zuko pulled himself into a sitting position at the sudden intrustion of a new voice, "You look kind of scary."

His hair in a long ponytail, and the intimidating black armor aside, he kind of liked the idea of being intimidating. "Yue?" the girl's eyes sparkled with white light as she looked about. "What am I wearing? What are you wearing?"

"Oh," she looked rather flustered, "I don't know. It leaves far too little to the imagination, doesn't it? And, and, and it's just black is not my color."

It was actually fairly conservative considering, but then again, he could see her knees, he could see how she thought it was scandalous. She never seemed to go anywhere without some sort of long gown or skirt. "I guess you're a bad guy, too," he observed, turning back to staring at the ceiling. "Fancy that."

"Me? A bad guy?" she didn't seem to understand. Zuko just shook his head. "I don't understand. What's going on? Why are we separated?"

"I don't know. Ask Sokka when we find him."

"Why Sokka? You mean this is --"

He nodded.

Yue took a minute to put the pieces together, and she seemeed surprised. "I never imagined Sokka's door would lead to a place like this. I, I must not know him quite as well as I believed." She grew silent again, and Zuko peeked over at her. She looked set to cry. "Why am I a bad guy?"

"Don't take it so personally," he muttered. "I'm not."

"But I was never -- I didn't turn on -- oh, oh dear." He knew exactly what she was getting at and it was lucky for her that he was in a relatively good mood. "I didn't mean it like that, Zuko -- I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

She tried to put on a brave face, and then, bobbing her head slightly, she added, "Maybe we should explore his maze?"

He stood up, stretching out and getting used to the feel of moving in the black iron armor. With a quick appraising of his sword hand, he looked over at Yue, and said, "Lead on."

* * *

"I've got a headache," Katara complained, "You're telling me we have to follow him around wherever he goes?"

"Those are the rules, apparently," Azula commented.

"Why couldn't this be more like one of those online games you played, Azula?"

She sputtered out a response indignantly. She didn't want that brought up right now, and she was thankful that Finally, in ignoble defeat, she changed the subject vindictively. "Your belt is a zipper made out of belts, Katara."

"Stop bringing that up!"

"Hey, guys, calm down, okay?" Sokka said. "We're almost to the ruins." Not that the journey, Sokka recalled, had been quite as simple as that. The pathway that once seemed so nice and peaceful was now riddled with creatures, very poorly defined creatures that slid along the ground or floated above it.

Also, they'd had to deal with pathways that he was absolutely positive had been clear before now having two inch tall rocks that prevented them from crossing. That was an exercise in futility. Azula was convinced they could just leap over them.

Which was why Katara had to heal the bruising on Azula's face while they walked the long way around. Which was even more fun, because the two girls now were talking, and as much fun, and he stressed the sarcasm and really, he couldn't stress that sarcasm _enough_ before, as much fun as they were at each other's throats, they were even more fun when they spoke.

Because there was a secret everyone but they acknowledged. Their brains, while Katara's seemed to be focused on kindness and Azula more on, well, whatever being Azula was like, seemed to work on very similar principles.

Case in point, they were now both glaring at him as if this was somehow his fault. How was he supposed to know that video games rotted his brains? It's not like anyone told him. "I always tell him they rot his brains."

That was uncanny.

"Get out of my head, Katara!"

"What did I do?" she whispered to Azula, who continued to shake her head slowly as she'd been doing for the past while.

"Are you sure we're close, Sokka?"

He grimaced, "Now that you mention it, I'm not sure which direction we're supposed to take. Floating random enemy encounter bubbles aside, we've made really good time, but something tells me we should probably expect a boss or, well, something bad soon."

"You cannot be serious. By 'boss' I assume you mean a signficantly challenging monster or something," Azula said, obviously feigning ignorance. "It isn't as if they'll just throw in a random enemy everytime you hit a certain checkpoint that they just decide should be a boss. That would be terrible."

"Rawr!"

"This is ridiculous," Azula said, rubbing her temples, "I'm getting a migraine, Sokka. Your monster just said 'rawr'."

"Who you calling a monster, Spice Girl?"

"Toph? Is -- is that you?" Katara craned her neck to see through the threatening shadows that surrounded the malignant force. "You look -- er -- taller."

"And distinctly monstrous," Sokka pointed out. Well, that was certainly unexpected to say the least.

"Hey! You're right. I got big somehow. Cool!"

"Not cool," Azula said, "Now she's getting excited."

"Hey Toph, why are you stomping threateningly over in this direction?"

"Huh? Well, what do you know, so I am," she took a moment to register what this meant, "I don't get it. What's the big idea?" She grunts as she tries to fight back against the compulsion. Azula and Katara turned to Sokka.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You're the expert," Katara said, blithely, "So, maybe you have some ideas what's going on?"

"I'd say we're about to have a boss battle," he said, drawing his wooden sword, "So, uh, get ready for anything, guys! Charge!"

"Wait!" Toph protested but it was too late. Sword held high, Sokka struck down the monstrous shadow of Toph and with the slice, the dissolution of the blocky pixels revealed the enemy's true form.

A lull overcame the group as they stared, raptly, at Toph.

"Ow!"

"Toph, you -- you --" Azula couldn't find the words, Sokka realized, and he couldn't blame her. There were no words to describe the fullness of what was before them. It was indescribeable, it seemed to be beyond their comprehension. She was --

"Oh! So adorable!"

Katara's high-pitch squeal summed it up. And that's what made it so terrifying. Toph, with little cat ears, a bright colored uniform, and a fluffy tail on the back of her clothing, she looked like she was part animal, part human.

"Who you calling adorable, Sugarqueen!"

"Oh, Toph, I wish you could see. It's just the cutest thing! Don't you agree, Azula?"

"I'm an Earthbender, you know."

That silenced Katara rather quickly, and she tried to regain her composure, "Anyway, Toph, um, are you okay?"

"Your belt's wearing a belt, Katara," Azula dryly answered.

"And your zipper's made up of many smaller zippers."

Toph smacked her head with her hands -- a soft blow thanks to the large paw-shaped gloves -- and shook her head, "Look, I don't even wanna know. Just give me the rundown of what's going on."

"Okay, so, we're in an RPG. I'm the main character, Azula's the versatile but largely useless at low levels mage, Katara's the healer, you're the mascot, we're trying to find the ruins to learn who the bad guy is, find my other half, discover the truth of the hero of legend and possibly get my sword back."

"You really want that sword badly," Azula muttered. "And who are you calling useless?"

"Hey, hope springs eternal, Azula. Eternal!"

"Whatever,' she muttered. Sokka wished she'd be a bit more supportive. It wasn't like he got to play the hero very often, anyway.

"What does that have to do with belts wearing zippers with more belts in the zippers?" Toph asked, rubbing her head. "What am I wearing!"

"They're just complaining because they have no taste in fashion."

If looks could kill, he'd be the victim of a double homocide. Still, it felt good to get that one in there. A long stretch "Anyway!" He smiled brightly, "Come on, join the party."

"Yes, what fun we will have, following him around."

"Hey, I've been nice to you, Azula, can't you be nice to me?"

"Oh, so laughing at me while I'm trying to jump some pebbles that blocked our path was being nice?"

Katara could barely hold back a snicker, "Oh come on, Azula, even you have to admit it was funny."

"Aw man, I missed Azula hurting herself? This sucks!"

"We could back and ask her to do it again," Sokka suggested.

"Or we could find out what embarrassing and probably hilarious secret you're hiding from us," Azula said, in a huff, "Come on, Sokka, let's get moving!"

* * *

_SOKKA has defeated the Mountain Guardian. SOKKA has reached the 3rd level. SOKKA learned Jealousy. SOKKA became Useless._

"What was that?" Yue's voice was trembling, but not as much as her hands. She could feel them shiver from the cold, uninviting air of the ruins, but there was something else. She didn't know what they might find in the maze, nor did she particularly want to.

"I don't know," Zuko's answer is very curt, but he never spoke much to her anyway.

"This maze goes on forever," she said, "We're very far from the surface. Do you think we should proceed upwards?"

Zuko didn't respond at first, and as she began to repeat herself, fearing he had not heard her, he answered, "Let's go to the top for now, yeah," he seemed so confident with his answer, "Which way do we go?"

Yue hesitated, then pointed down a hallway, "This way is the quickest way to the stairs. I don't sense any monsters -- no, I shouldn't say that. I sense them, but they don't seem to harbor us any ill."

He shook his head, "Course they don't. We're the bad guys, remember?"

She nodded, slowly. She didn't understand why. Zuko, at least, was a bad guy in Sokka's mind at one point, but what about her? Was this some deep, inner resentment towards her that Sokka never spoke? Oh dear, oh odds and bothers, this was beginning to drive her crazy.

And her partner wasn't any help either. He would rarely speak to her, and sometimes, when she least expected it, he'd break into a dash and be waiting impatiently for her once she caught up. It wasn't like she needed to run most of the time. As a moon spirit, she had the advantage of sort of floating in the night sky most of the day.

But more frustrating than that was the way he'd just seem to stare past her whenever she wanted to speak to him. "Am I bother to you, Zuko?" she asked, as politely as she could muster.

He responded surprisingly quickly, his voice flustered, "What makes you think that?"

"You've been doing your best to not speak with me."

He grunted, shaking his head, "I don't talk a lot."

"Yes, but we've been down here for some time, and you only speak when I speak to you."

"It's nothing personal."

If it were nothing personal, Yue reasoned, that just seemed to make it worse. "You treat everyone like this? How dreadful, Zuko, you must be so lonely."

"I'm fine."

"Zuko, you cannot say such a thing," she said, "Look at all that's happened to us so far. I'm worried for you. These other sides of ourselves, they're growing stronger and I do not think I could forgive myself if any of us were to fail."

He shook his head slowly, an audible grunt the only response she got.

"I am not joking, Zuko," she said, "Whatever your door is like, I do not want to imagine you facing your other self and failing. It would be far too horrid," she said.

"We need to make sure Sokka gets through this, first," he answered, coldly, "Worry about me when we get to that door."

"Oh dear," Yue said, weakly. Things weren't going well at all.

* * *

It was hard to pin-point the exact moment she knew they were lost. In a lot of ways, Katara always knew they were, but now that they'd found themselves in a middle of another dense forest that was ecologically completely different from the one on the other side of the mountain range they'd just gotten off of, she was certain he'd taken a wrong turn.

"I got this!"

He continually insisted that as he cut through the foliage and managed to duck away from yet another passing shadow, a random encounter as he referred to them. She went along with it because she knew almost nothing about these sorts of games.

The concept of experience points and statistics were alien to her, and she didn't know why Sokka insisted that she probably stacked wisdom over intelligence, which seemed to be kind of a strange distinction to make.

Toph, who plodded along with her fluffy tail standing taller than her slouched and angry posture, didn't seem to be in the same good graces as Sokka. "You're completely lost!" she shouted, and stomped her feet.

"I am not. I just think we should go north through here and --"

"The ruins should be to our east, not our north," Azula commented, idly, checking her fingernails, "Really, Sokka, if you asked sooner we could have avoided this."

It seemed Azula's patience had worn out as well. "Sokka, is this true?" Katara asked, her voice very level.

"Well, yes, but, look, to the west is -- is --"

"It's a big scary cave," Azula said, wiggling her fingers for emphasis, "Now, be a brave hero and go through it."

"Fine, you don't have to be so pushy!"

Katara braced herself for entering the cavern, but it wasn't quite as damp or smelly as she imagined. It actually looked very dry, with plain, brown flooring and the light being cast by fires lit on the walls. Pixelated and crude looking fires, but they looked at least a little bit like that.

"Think we're finally getting close?" Toph asked.

"Good question," she responded, looking at Azula and Sokka arguing at the front. "I don't think this is doing good for their friendship."

"Eh," Toph said, "Snoozles has dealt with worse."

"Azula just likes to boss people around, I guess."

"Well, ain't that the truth." Toph gave a big grin, "I wish I could see her hair. You said it looks dumb, right?"

"Painfully so."

"Ha!"

"Do you two have something you wish to share?" Azula asked, looking back at them.

"Just that we're probably going to meet another boss sooner than later,' Toph said, innocently, "I mean, after all, isn't this like a checkpoint for an arbirtray boss battle?"

"Don't be silly, Toph, they wouldn't throw two bosses so quick in succession!" Sokka said. The floor began to rumble.

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong, I wonder," Azula muttered, more to herself than accusatory. Still, she seemed to be making an effort not to just shout it out, so Katara wrote it off as a baby step.

"This isn't my fault!" Sokka protested.

The source of the shaking burst through, knocking tetrahedral shaped blocks about as it emerged. A long, menacing worm roared, revealing many, many rows of sharp-looking 8-bit teeth, and then burrowed back into the ground.

"I wish I was right for once," Sokka moaned, drawing his sword. "Charge!"

* * *

Slithering, moving through the cavern like an infection, permeating every inch, Toph grinned broadly as her quarry attempted to elude her. Like that would work, she thought, pumping her fists in anticipation.

The floor rumbled again as the worm emerged, its blocky and long form painfully obvious to her in every square inch of her body. "Hey, Azula," she said, "You got to learn how to Earthbend, right? Well, here's your practice lesson."

"Here? Now?" Azula sounded perplexed, but she rarely let that stop her for long, "Very well then. Lead on, teacher."

She couldn't keep that smirk off her face, "Yeah, I like that. Okay, first rule of Earthbending is you never give an inch." She charged forward, slamming her feet hard into the ground, feeling the blocks shoot up and she thrust her fists out simultaneously, propelling the block with as much force as it could take.

Square, then something shaped closer to an L, then a couple that looked like a step. She threw as many of them as she could, while listening to Sokka's confused stuttering on the side. "Toph, is your earthbending okay?"

"Not my fault the place is like this!"

That shut him up right quick, Toph thought, and she seemed satisfied. Throwing blocks at the creature, while not what she imagined she'd be doing now that she had her bending back, was essentially the same thing. She blocked the creature in, which caused it to shriek louder, a low-tech sound.

Though it tried to move, Toph pummeled it continuously, a never ending stream of blocks of the cave floor, of all shapes and sizes. The pixelated rocks threw it further back, knocking its long tail out of the ground.

"And now for the finishing blow!" She concentrated, bringing up the biggest block she could to just shatter it, thrusting the straight block straight forward, shattering the rest with a loud 'bloop'. The resulting shockwave knocked the worm prone on its back, leaving it looking winded and confused.

"Though I fear this setting removes much of the drama of the situation, I think I understand," Azula braced herself to follow up when the worm stood up, shaking its long segmented body out and preparing to burrow.

"Oh no you don't!"

"Sokka!" Katara called after her brother, but he already rushed headlong towards the beast with his wooden sword held high in the air.

"You idiot!" Azula shouted, slamming her feet into the ground, preparing, Toph realized, to take her lesson on a dangerous test run.

She shouted, "Don't!" and tried to stop her, but Azula already slammed a block up and shot it forward. It shot past Sokka, barely brushing past him. He slowed to a stop as he noticed the open maw of the worm waiting expectantly for him.

Just as the block sailed inside in his place. The worm snapped down on the block, struggling to break it. "Now's my chance," Sokka said, aloud, dramatically, and took his wooden sword and plunged it in the worm's belly.

Toph could feel the presence of the worm lifting almost imediately, even before the others saw the slow creeping destructions of its pixelated body from the inside out. As the creature fell to the ground, that same strange sensation of words flowing into their heads as before started.

_SOKKA has defeated the Larval Worm. SOKKA has reached the 4th Level. SOKKA learned Despair. SOKKA realized _**CRITICAL ERROR 0010011101 UNABLE TO ACCESS DATA PLEASE REBOOT**

The end came out like a terrifying cacophony, as the cavern wall began to melt into a jungle, but the trees were upside down and off color. The floor, Toph grimaed, felt off, as if everything about the landscape suddenly became a lot more hollow.

"What's going on?"

"A critical error -- the game is glitching on us," Azula answered, matter of factly.

"Thought you didn't know anything about this," Toph said, grinning to herself, "Power Princess sure knows a lot about video games for someone who doesn't play them."

"Be quiet!"

"Guys! Relax," Sokka said, "Everything's going to be okay. We just need to find what caused that glitch and maybe we can stop it before it gets any worse. Things are going to be okay."

He paused at the lack of reaction, the blank stares from everyone, even Toph seemed to freeze, unsure of how to react to the sensation under her feet. "What's going on, guys? Is there something behind me?"

He turned around into the stark glowing azure of the boy of the labyrinth. Around him, the very code of the game appeared, rotating ones and zeroes, corrupted pixels and monsters caught in the ground, visible only where his footprint left them exposed.

"Oh, this is bad," Sokka said. "What do you want?"

The blue eyes stared at him for the longest time, and he thought, for a moment, that any second he would strike, and this idea, as awkward as it was, struck him so hard at that moment that he almost turned the sword on this shadowed boy.

"Aang," Toph murmured, "I don't believe it."

She took a step towards him, and he suddenly moved, sliding across the ground, like he were apart from it, an unnatural and yet altogether unpleasantly familiar sensation. "I don't believe it. You weren't lying, Azula."

She expected Azula to retort, but instead, Azula stared vacantly after the shadowed Aang. "Guys," Sokka said, "We need to get moving. The ruins are in that direction, and if he's causing the whole place to go like this, well, things aren't going to be a leisurely adventure anymore."

"You're right." Azula paused. "We need to follow him," she added.

"Yeah," Katara agreed, "He must be leading us somewhere, trying to help us."

"Why isn't he saying anything?" Toph wondered, "Something doesn't feel right about this." She felt Sokka pat her on the shoulder, and quietly whisper to her.

"I got a bad feeling too, but --"

"But nothing. This place is crazy enough, why would that --"

"Toph," he said, "Let them hope for the best for now. They need it."

"All right. Lead on, Sokka."

"Just getting to it!" he said, "Onwards! To the Runs!"

_Do you want to save _**CRITICAL ERROR **_Do you want to _Cannot Save to this Device at this tim_**UNKNOWN VIRUS DETECTED**_

_To be continued..._

_Author's Note: If I knew this chapter would take this long, I'd have given more of a warning, but instead, I couldn't just settle down and write it for two weeks. Yes, that's right, the dreaded writer's block struck me like a Tetris block. I finally found something I could sink my teeth into and the next chapter, I hope will fulfill the promise of this area. Apologies for fans of Tatsuya Nomura, I just can't stand his fashion sense._

_For those of you who don't know who he is, find a picture of Tidus and Lulu from Final Fantasy X and know the terror of exactly what I'm making fun of._


	19. Glitch

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"I play my role when I rip the mic apart, I do what I gotta do to place a spark. I'mma put it down, seeking no crown anymore."_

_- Deep Breath Deep Breath -Reincarnation-_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 18: **_Glitch_

**x0000000000000000-ab variable not found please reinstall universe**

_..._

_..._

_..._

_You are alone in a room. What do you do?  
_

Wait.

_You wait. Time seems to go on forever. Something is wrong. Your captors have been gone for a long time. You don't even remember what they kidnapped you for. Being a princess in one of these adventure games sure is hard work._

Sigh longingly.

_Since you are a damsel in distress, you really don't have much in the way of options, and since you haven't met your One True Love and Prince on a White Horse quite yet, most of them are moot. _

_It seems something is happening._

Investigate.

_The walls of your cell are starting to fall apart at the seams - literally! Who would have thought that you'd be locked in a cell with paper thin walls. This could be your chance to escape! But, there's still the matter of protecting yourself out there. Who knows what could happen._

Examine the cell.

_It's not exactly all that secure anymore, but for as long as you can remember, you've been locked up here. Gross! That wolf that even wizard sent to fetch you brought back some stuff and they're all slimy and covered with saliva._

Examine 'stuff.'

_It's a bunch of stuff. Not much more to say there. But, hey, is that a sword? You don't exactly know how to swing them around, but you do understand the concept of pointy end goes into the bad guy, so it's better than nothing._

Pick up sword.

_Now we're talking! It's not like any sword you've ever seen, not that, as a princess, you go around looking at men's swords all the time - really, what sort of princess would? - but still, most swords aren't black._

Leave cell.

_There's still something nagging at the back of your mind. Maybe you should take one more look around the cell._

Do that.

_I don't understand the word, "That"._

Examine cell again.

_It's a cell. At least, that's what it looks like._

Get frustrated.

_I don't understand the word, 'Get.'_

Look for anything useful in the cell.

_Those sure are nice fans. Probably should get those, too._

Pick up the fans.

_They're shiny and gold, and kind of sharp. Better put those away carefully._

Put fans away carefully.

_You've already done that!_

Leave this cell as quickly as possible.

_You walk out of the cell. You are now in the caverns, lowest level._

* * *

Yue was not conscious.

Zuko wouldn't have been either in her place, he figured. The ruins around them stopped looking so much like ruins and became an indescribeable mess of numbers and off-color pixels. Whites turned black, black turned orange, and the creatures appeared.

They weren't pixels, they weren't part of the game, they were something else. He kept a sullen watch while Yue slept with his cloak behind her head.

What was going on?

Just when he thought he'd seen everything, and he was certain at this point that if he ever wrote a book about his life, it'd be placed firmly in the Fiction section, the maze throws them another curveball. Perfectly Sokka, unpredictable and even, just a little, dangerous.

In the shadows, anything could be lurking: friend or foe. He felt on edge, he felt alone, he felt...

He felt alive.

And then she had to shatter it by waking. "What happened?" she sounded so quiet and apologetic. She tended to do that, he realized, taking on all responsibility. It was for that reason she felt so bad about her own jealousy that she buried it deep down.

"Don't ask me, I was hoping you'd be able to tell me."

"I'm not certain. Though, everything seems different now," she said, standing up slowly. Her eyes focused slowly to the darkness and she paused as she noticed the off-tone footsteps she made. "Oh dear. Is this normal?"

"No."

"Oh dear, oh dear," she continued, looking more fretful, "I think something dreadful must have happened. How long was I -"

"Not long."

A long sigh, but keeps smiling, her patience never waning. "Zuko, we need to be quick. I think the others have finally entered the ruins."

"Took them long enough."

"But, I sense something powerful moving below us, as well!"

He grunted, throwing a glance behind him, before he stood. "Let's hurry, then."

"Yes, I think so. But I'm worried. Will this place force us to be enemies in spite of ourselves?" she wondered. Zuko paused, but shook his head.

"I don't think the game is holding up. Someone's broken it."

"Broken it?" She tapped her lips pensively, looking around, "How?"

"Glitched it or hacked it, I don't know. I'm not great with computers," he answered, moving forward with a brisk pace. Yue called out for him to wait, and he stopped. Turning back, he saw her pick up his cloak and carry it over. "Come on, we need to get to the others."

* * *

Azula hated darkness. It wasn't a conscious thing, either, which made her all the more uncomfortable about it. The ruins were filled with darkness, the braziers - if that's what those blue blobs were, anyway - carried black flames.

"A glitch!".

Sokka continued to rant about the obvious. Azula wouldn't have any of this. "We know, we're not computer illiterate like Zuzu."

She just wanted out of the darkness. She did not want to go back there. She was free, she was finally free and she wasn't going back!

"Azula, are you okay? You seem," Katara's voice came across patronizingly, hesitating for the right word for only a second, "Tense."

"Tense, hah. Power Princess is stiff as a rock. Don't worry, nothing's going to sneak up and eat you!"

"I'm quite all right."

"You know, Azula, you don't have to act like you're alone," Katara said, quietly, "We need to rely on each other to make it out of here alive, whether we like it or not." Distinctly, she was closer to the not category. Katara seemed to be much of the same.

"I said I'm all right."

"Guys, leave her alone," Sokka interjected, "If she said she's all right, she's all right."

It felt odd to have him stand up for her. Usually he was going off like a small animal, yapping angrily and impotently at her heels. He actually looked in control for a second. The girls stopped, falling back into step.

"What's the place look like?" Toph asked. "Because it feels all - not-right."

"That's about how it looks," Katara answered quickly, "I don't like it - why is Aang leading us here?"

"Sokka's evil twin's got to be nearby."

"And the others, maybe," Sokka answered. Toph shrugged, grin never wavering.

"Yeah, them too."

**Cannot generate doodad, too many instances launched system reset imminent.**

"What does that even mean?" Azula asked no one in particular. Apparently, she was the only one who heard it, but everyone else was too busy looking around. "Am I hearing things?"

"I hear something, too," Katara said, "Something's here."

"Yeah, something ugly," Toph muttered. She didn't hear any noise like that. Perhaps the sounds of the world around them descending further into a full-on system crash. That didn't seem good, with them inside the system, but whatever they were talking about seemed a little more immediate.

"Where?"

"I don't know. This place is weird, I can't get a fix on them." Toph shifted her feet, "They're close, though, and closing!"

"Great, looks like we're in for a fight. I bet this glitch has made all of the monsters more dangerous, too," Sokka said. Azula wanted to protest. Everything in this darkness seemed more dangerous.

The echoed sound of something scraping along the ground, for example, seemed ominous, like a long, metal implement being dragged behind a lurching figure. Still, that didn't really bother her at all. It was just the darkness that wouldn't stop, it wore at her nerves.

But she couldn't remember why.

"Well, we've got to follow you, Sokka," Toph said, "What do we do?"

* * *

_You hear something._

Listen closely.

_There are two people ahead, and they seem to be resting. The woman is an evil sorceress that you remember, but the man is unfamiliar._

Remember sorceress.

_The Moon Sorceress Yue is a dangerous individual. She kidnapped you out of your palace and brought you here with only the power of her mind. She works for the evil Phoenix Prince. That man must be him!  
_

Examine man.

_He looks dangerous._

Hide.

_Well, better late than never, right? You hide, and they don't seem to notice you_**xxxA18F Computing Error System Contaminated**_Unfortunately, something else does. It has more mouths than it does hands, feet, legs, arms, eyes, noses, or ears combined, actually._

Examine creature

_I don't understand the word _**cF115 ERROR ERROR**_ture_

Examine monster

_There aren't any monsters here. You should focus on that sorceress instead_

Attack whatever that thing is

* * *

"Get ready to fight," Sokka ordered.

Everyone moved ready to fight. Even Toph with those ridiculous ears looked fierce and ready to go. That was more than he could hope for considering the sudden and unexpected turn the world around them had taken.

He held the wooden sword tightly in his hands. This felt inadequate. Against the monsters of the maze it may be effective, but the scraping noise approaching them didn't seem to be normal.

"I got a bad feeling about this," Toph said, quietly. "There! Right ahead of us."

"I can't see anything," Katara answered, but she tightened into a defensive stance, "You're absolutely sure?"

"Positive, Sugar Queen."

He'd heard of shifting darkness before, but this actually looked like the blackness in front of them moved, and shifting was about right for how it moved. In the low light he could see a shape in the shadow, a long and slender sort of form.

As it moved, the sound of mucus hitting the ground and the faint smell of decay overwhelmed them. Something primal this way came.

Azula made the first move. Striking as fast as she could with an airbending slice. The strike forced the figure to move, revealing a long, slender arm and a bright, white mask with wolf-like markings. Sokka really wished he had more than a wooden stick right now.

It shifted as the wind died down, crawling forward on a multitude of slender arms, the mask affixed firmly to a vaguely man-shaped shadow among the mess of arms. Some of those arms ended not in a mess of spindly, spider-like fingers, but instead in long, sword-shaped spikes.

**Warning. System Infection Critical...**

"What is going on!" Toph shouted, "The whole building's going crazy!"

"Toph! Watch out!" Sokka didn't even have time to admonish himself for his poor choice of words. He could only move, taking the wooden sword and juxtaposing it between the long spike and Toph. It ended up stuck in the middle of the thick, wooden training weapon. "No!"

He released the weapon, and the large shape shook at it angrily, trying to remove it from the spike. "How did it move so fast!" Toph shouted, "Get back!" A series of glitched blocks shot out of the ground as she slammed her feet into a firm stance, and she threw them forward with a series of quick thrusts. The thing was pelted, moving backwards, but scraping at the ground the whole while.

Azula pushed the offensive, Her feet barely touched the ground as she charged forward, slicing the air straight through and leaping up to the ceiling, pushing down and slamming into the ground, causing a shockwave to tear through the ground. "We have to keep pushing it back," she said, "Katara, get on it!"

"Right!"

"Toph, back her up, don't let up for any reason!"

"You got it, Spice GIrl."

"Sokka - uh, you hang back and let us girls take care of you."

Sokka grumbled. "Yeah, sure, whatever," he muttered. The elemental fury inflicted upon the creature seemed to be effective, pushing it backwards slowly, and all Sokka could do is watch the girls work.

The creature slowed itself with the massive sword-like spines at the end of its arms, and its human-shaped head turned to focus on Sokka.

**Data could not be accessed**

Toph faltered, falling out of step with the others. "Something's going on," she said, "Hey, Power Princess! We got trouble!"

Azula didn't even slow, weaving through the creature's massive network of swipes and throwing a windy kick into the web of limbs, "What kind of trouble?"

"I don't know. Something's wrong. This place doesn't feel right. Worse than before, actually."

Azula shivered, but she didn't let it show. "Hold your ground for now. Once this thing is finished, we'll figure it out."

"Whatever you say."

Toph felt uncertain about this, but the creature surged forward, charging through the group suddenly. One of its arms pushed her aside, another forced Azula into the wall, and still one more threw Katara hurtling into Sokka.

It made a shrieking sound as it brought its spiines up high.

Toph pushed herself off the ground, stomping her feet angrily. "No way did it just ignore us like that!"

"More worried about Sokka!" Azula said, grunting as she was held firmly against the wall, "Toph, do something!"

Katara and Sokka stumbled to their feet, both of them watching the creature with a frozen expression on their face.

"What do you expect me to do? Make the floor collapse?" Toph shouted in response.

**Data Block x0A45 through x0C20 cannot be opened. Please try again later.**

She planted her feet firmly against the ground and found there was no more ground to plant her feet atop. "What the -" she managed to start before the ghostly image of the floor vanished entirely.

Standing on thin air, even in a video game, didn't seem especially possible.

The creature plummeted first, they followed shortly.

* * *

**CRITICAL ERROR CRITICAL ERROR SYSTEM UNRESPONSIVE **_and the sorceress and the man she was with seem to have decided to leave. You stand triumphant over _**DATA NOT AVAILABLE**_ and sheath your blade._

_What do you do now?  
_

Look around.

_You're certain you're within the catacombs of the ruins around that small village in your kingdom. Why would the sorceress Yue take you here?_

Think about man.

_He looked dangerous. You're almost certain he's the Phoenix Prince. You don't know his goals, but you're certain they're evil to the core. That's just how it goes. After all, he did kidnap you._

Think about monster.

_I'm certain there's no monster. And I'm quite certain there never was one whatsoever._

Follow Sorceress.

_You don't know where she went, but they seem to be going up. So you go towards the stairs._

Examine stairs.

_Seem sturdy enough._

Grow tired of this tedious mechanic.

_You're not the only one._

Go up the stairs.

* * *

"Things sure are getting dangerous, aren't they?"

Azula lifted her head, but saw nothing. Everything was cast in pitch black, she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. But she knew that voice, "Xiao?" The girl giggled in response, and seemed to be moving around her, the sound of her footsteps coming at a gallop.

"That's my name!" she said, "For now!"

"What happened?"

"The end is getting really close now. Not even the doors are keeping them out anymore."

"Who are you talking about?"

"A Primal Spirit, like the one you just faced," she said, "You remember, right? You saw one when you came to the dorm! And before that, too;" She giggled, "But you don't remember, do you? I wish you would hurry up and remember everything!"

"I can't help that I was in a coma for several months," Azula responded, trying to stand. She found the ceiling was a little low hanging for her to stand upright, so she chose to sit down.

"Pfft!" Xiao could barely contain herself, "Okay, keep telling yourself that. It makes things easier, right?"

"What?"

"Never mind. Once you remember, I'm sure we'll have a bunch to talk about. But right now, we got to be careful. More of those things are inside this door, now, and they may even be sneaking into your friend's past."

"What do you know about this maze?"

"I'm not hiding anything. Since it's you, I've told you everything I've known. After all, we're getting close to the end. I don't know why you want to get to the middle of the maze so badly, but if that's what you want, I'll help you!"

"Where are we right now?"

"I dunno. Somewhere. The monster's not here, but neither are your friends. I think there's a passage to your friend's past nearby, at least, an exit from it. Maybe they found their way in there!"

"Lead the way."

She giggled, "Sure! But we gotta be careful of the princess!"

"The princess? Who's she?"

Xiao stifled back a loud laugh, "You'll see!"

* * *

"Oh dear," Yue fretted, "Everything's going all wrong!"

Zuko looked around, and then back at Yue, "You sense more of those things? I don't see any." She shook her head, "Then what's wrong this time?"

"The ruins seem smaller all of a sudden," she said, "Just a little bit, but they're definitely shrinking."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out."

"Me neither." He grunted as he picked up the pace. "Come on."

"Yes, of course. Also," she hesitated, "That powerful force I felt before is close. I don't think we want to find out what it is."

"Yue, don't worry. Nothing is going to get the drop on us. It's not like they're just going to fall out of the sky in front of us-"

"Look out belo- oof!"

"- I stand corrected."

"Sokka?"

Yue kneeled down to check on the prone body in front of them. It certainly looked like Sokka, though green certainly did not suit him in her opinion. He rolled over, his eyes unfocused, his expression dazed, but in general, he seemed to be okay. "Whee, can I ride it again?" he mumbled as he started to come back to reality.

"He's fine," Zuko muttered.

"Yes, he is." She sighed, "Though I wish he didn't scare me like that!"

"Sorry."

"You back in the land of the living?" Zuko asked, frowning, clearly unamused.

"Before you get on my case for jumping down some hole, the floor just disappeared, not my fault and - what are you two wearing? Oh man, Zuko, that armor makes your neck look scrawnier than usual."

"Don't blame me! This is your fault, isn't it?"

"Yue at least looks cute in her evil sorceress outfit - hey, why are you guys all in black, anyway?"

Something snapped in Yue's head, and she just stared at him for the longest period of time, not saying anything. Sokka wilted back from the stare. She was grinding her teeth. Zuko at least registered that this had been bugging her more than she let on.

"What did I do?" Sokka whimpered.

"This is your subconscious, Sokka Floes!" Yue said, "And you're accusing me of coming up with this ridiculous outfit? You can see my belly-button!"

"It's a very nice belly button."

"That's not important!" Yue said, hiding a blush behind her hand, "Can you please do away with these silly outfits."

"I don't know how!"

"You are a complete and total - uh - Intellectually Lacking Individual!"

Divine anger aside, the moment was completely ruined with that. Zuko sighed and looked over at Sokka. "Now that we've found you, anyway, where are the others?"

"They fell. I don't know where they landed. The whole place was getting weirder and weirder."

"We noticed."

"So what do we do?" Both of them turned to Sokka, who blinked in response. A brief pause followed. Finally, he added, "Don't all jump in with suggestions."

"This is a video game, but it's 'glitched,'" Yue said, "At least, that's how Zuko put it to me. Wouldn't we have to find the source of the glitch and stop it?"

"Either that or stop the game," Zuko said, "But the only way to do that is to finish it."

"And we can't do that without everyone else. Wait! I got it! You're the bad guys. You have to give me a villainous monologue because I am obviously now your prisoner after being separated from the party."

"Oh we're not doing this," Zuko muttered.

"It may be the only way. Reach deep into the recesses of your mind, Zuko, find your inner nerd, and commune with it!"

"Oh no."

"Do it! Do it!"

Even Yue was joining in with Sokka's rhythmic chanting. Zuko grimaced. He was no good at being an intimidating villain. "Fine. Let's say I kidnapped something, a princess, maybe."

"Right, that's a pretty classic RPG plot," Sokka agreed. "Well, you kidnapped her and her father, the King, sent knights out to find her, and I, being an unassuming village boy, am destined to rescue her."

"We take her here for some reason," Zuko waved his hands vaguely, "Maybe because of some ancient sleeping power that requires a sacrifice."

"Works."

"It sounds terrible."

"It still works."

"Fine. Okay, but let's say we're not really evil, we're just misunderstood," Zuko said, looking over at Yue, pointedly, "Like we're doing this for all the right reasons."

"Oh, yes, the I'm Not Evil I'm just a Jerk gambit," Sokka said, "Always the coolest party members."

"Right."

"So you're trying to summon something for revenge, let's say."

"You sure?"

"You've got a problem with revenge?"

"No, revenge is good. Revenge is perfectly fine."

"Fine."

"Fine. Revenge it is. And I come and ruin that."

"Thoroughly."

"Yeah, heroes do that when they screw up."

"No, you do that when you screw up, heroically or not."

"Rub it in why don't you," Sokka murmured. "But that leaves us without a big bad guy to kill, unless you tried to summon it."

"I'm thinking, okay?"

Yue watched this intently, and when the two fell into quiet brainstorming, she added her own idea. "What if the princess is the bad guy?"

The two of them looked at her for a second, and yet couldn't dispute the idea. "Works, actually. I don't think it's been done before, but it works."

* * *

Focus, Katara told herself, they'd been through this before. Still, the sudden shift from the world of pixels and monsters to reality was so sudden that her stomach began to churn. There weren't any big blocky pixels making up the familiar Phoenix school, Ba Sing Se seemed to be devoid of bleeps and bloops, and Toph seemed to be sprawled on the grass and dealing with something.

"Are you okay, Toph?"

"I'm glad I didn't eat much," Toph managed to slur, "Because I don't feel so good."

"I see," she nodded, and then, sitting down, added, "Me too. Where's Azula and Sokka?"

"Don't know," Toph said, "Maybe they're around elsewhere?"

"But I was right next to Sokka, we couldn't have fallen too far apart."

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe whatever Sokka's little world is snatched us up and left the other two to plummet forever? I don't know. Things don't always make sense here. I think I'm going crazy as it is!"

Katara sighed. "We're back in the past, I think. And back in our uniforms."

"Yeah, kind of figured that out. It feels like the past, anyway." She flopped over onto her side, "I think I'm getting my stomach back into the right place. Just give me a minute and we'll get this over with."

Katara nodded, looking out at the crowd in front of the school. They seemed to be making a circle around something. "Looks like someone ticked off Suki, again."

"Yeah, I heard that new kid in our class said something about how she shouldn't play baseball."

"Ow. Why not?"

"Because she's a girl."

"That little - and I thought he was cute, too!"

Katara watched the girls rush off, and sighed. That was the day, of course, that Suki and Sokka became inseparable. "Come on, Toph, I think we found why we're here."

"Urp," Toph belched, standing up, "Gotcha."

They stumbled over to the crowd and tried to peek through. Though the group of kids was thick, the two arguing voices carried pretty well. "Like I said, I don't know why you're getting so upset over this. Baseball is for men, you go and play your little softball game and have fun."

"You sure like repeating yourself, don't you?"

"Well, yes. But that's besides the point, I'm only repeating myself because you don't seem to be listening. Baseball is for men, got it?"

"Why don't you put that to the test? You and me, on the field, the one who hits the most runs wins. What do you say to that, Ponytail?"

"Wolf-tail. And I don't see why I got to prove an indisputable fact to you."

"Oh yeah? Sounds to me like you're scared a girl's going to beat you."

"What?"

"Scaredy-Sokka."

"That isn't - fine! If you want to be embarrassed. then fine."

Toph whispered aside to Katara, "He's going to embarrass himself, isn't he?" Katara slowly nodded and followed the crowd as they hurried over to the baseball field. From the looks on everyone's faces, it was going to be an eventful lunch period.

In comparison, Katara was busy with her newfound powers and responsibilities as a member of the Bending Club, which at that time meant cowtowing to every whim Azula had. And she had plenty.

"What's up?"

"Just thinking about what I was up to around now. Azula had me doing copies for the student council, little miss bigshot was too busy being treasurer."

"Ow."

"I heard all about it from Sokka, with some, ahem, hyperbole and exaggeration." She sighed, and looked over towards her brother, "Let's just say, he has his pride, and that's about it."

* * *

For Azula, the maze was quickly becoming tiresome. There were so many passageways that just bled into even more thick, inky darkness, with walls turning pitch black and even though she couldn't remember - or maybe she didn't want to remember - she knew that something about it caused her very self to rebel.

Maybe it was being left in a coma like that, that absence of time, her brain just sitting there unused. Nothing, absolutely nothing, frightened her more than that. Not that she'd admit it, not even to herself. Such an admission would be a sign of weakness and there was one thing Azula Houou refused to view herself as.

Regardless.

The darkness only briefly gave way to miscolored blocks and pixels, and she could hear distant music bleeping away, slowed and unrecognizeable, garbled up and grating. It was even just a bit terrifying in a horror movie sense.

Right about now the girl with the unkempt black hair over her face would appear and throw her down a well.

No? Moving along, then, she finds herself at a crossroads. Four pathways, and only one way forward. "Xiao, which way?"

No answer. Expected, but inconvenient. "Well, then, let's see."

She turned to her right, and followed the pathway. The darkness seemed to get thicker there, but she kept her hand to the wall. The music seemed to vanish the further she traveled down the hall. As disconcerting as the noise had been to hear, its sudden disappearance did not bode much better.

A miscolored lightsource flickered green against a purple brick wall. The hallway led to another split in the path. She approached it, and paused. Something didn't feel right.

**System infection critical, formatting system...**

Formatting system...?

Something about that seemed, well, bad.

She stepped back. There was something approaching down the halls, buzzing like a swarm of locusts. She kept herself perfectly calm, refusing to panic, but she prepared to run. They looked like bubbling blackness against the wall, but as they passed through, nothing remained behind them.

She didn't know if they'd just pass by her and leave her to plummet again, but she wasn't about to find out. She especially was not curious how it would be to be deleted.

They moved, slowly but deliberately, and they converged around the far wall, and more crept around the corner, devouring the walls and floors of the hall, approaching her. She turned back and ran. She looked down the other three halls. More of those bubbling shadows were crawling towards the center.

All except for this one. She broke into a dash down the long corridor, a wave of deletion at her back.

* * *

"All right, you kids got ten minutes to do this before you got to get your sorry butts back into class." Seeing Xin Fu did not bring back especially pleasant memories for Toph, but she supposed this was before they'd even met.

She was going to keep a good distance away just to be on the safe side, though.

"This won't even take that long," Sokka said.

"Sokka won the coin toss, so he bats first, got it?" Xin Fu eyed Suki carefully, and the girl nodded in response. "Good, since neither of you got any complaints, let's get right to it."

Suki took her place on the pitcher's mound, while Sokka grabbed a bat and took to the plate. He tapped his bat against the plate, then pointed out into right field. Katara placed her head in her hands. This was not going to end well.

Suki grinned, gripping the ball in her hands, and then threw a fastball right down the plate.

Sokka responded quickly, swinging and knocking it clean out into the outfield. He grinned and walked over to the mound, giving Suki a wink as she passed by him on the way to the plate. Positions switched, Sokka called out, "You got one chance to just forfeit and save yourself the embarrassment."

Suki just smirked in response.

"Right then." He gripped the ball and made for a curveball pitch.

Suki swung and with a loud crack knocked the ball flying out into centerfield.

Sokka just watched the ball fly overhead, flying clearly into homerun territory. He just stared and stared and stared for a good long while, until Suki tapped him on the shoulder, "Your turn to hit, slugger."

Sokka had the look of an animal caught in the headlights of a car.

"Wow, that landed out there," Toph laughed. "I guess he got a taste of his own medicine."

"I guess."

"Well, this is all fun and all, but what do we do here, it's not like we're going to disrupt his humiliation, are we?" Toph asked. "Whoa, hold it. Did you feel that?"

Katara looked back at Toph. "What's wrong?"

"Something just went crack. I don't know what." Katara's eyes widened, and looked around. "Back by the school, I think."

Katara turned around. A large crack had formed over the sky over the school, sending long spindling fissures down through the sky. "Oh no. But we didn't even do anything - Oh no!"

"What? What is it?"

It crawled across the ground on its myriad hands, large metal spines scraping against the ground as a long crack followed wherever it went. No one else seemed to see it as it crawled over the grass of the athletics fields.

Its mask was cracked, and there wasn't a doubt in Katara's mind that it was the same creature as before. "It followed us."

* * *

"So where do we even go now?" Sokka wondered.

Zuko and Yue just shrugged. "We were kind of hoping you'd have an idea," Zuko said.

Sokka looked at Zuko and Yue, and rubbed his chin with his thumb, thinking it over. He shrugged, and said, "Well, usually we find the other self of who made the world and face them. So I guess that means I've got to face myself."

"That makes sense, but where is your other self?"

"I dunno! I'm not even sure what my other self would be like. Everyone else's is all weird and different. Mine could be anything!"

Yue nodded, and felt something prickling at the back of her neck, like her senses going wild. She looked around. Something wasn't right at all, here. She could sense Azula nearby, but something about it - and there, she knew what it was as suddenly as it happened! "Azula's in trouble," she said, suddenly, "She's down a few floors, but the floor right below her just completely vanished!"

"What?" Sokka's eyes widened, "We've got to help her!"

"Yes, I agree. This way. We haven't any time to lose!"

She led them down the hallways towards the stairway back down. They barely had time to register the pixelated and off-color architecture of the maze. She ran through a few rooms, throwing open the doors with their loud, digitized buzz, and passed down a hallway where she stopped, suddenly.

"Oh dear," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked, pushing to the front. "Hey, that's -"

He cut himself off as the full magnitude of what stood in front of him registered. Heavy pancake make-up, an elaborate crown, a long, green gown, a pair of golden fans, and in hand, a familiar black blade.

Zuko broke the silence, "Figures."

"Oh shut up!"

"Oh dear," Yue whispered again, but it became clear she was stifling a fit of laughter herself. "I think we found your other self, Sokka."

"Shut up! Everyone shut up!" He looked at his other self, and fumbled for words. "And you, take that off right now, you look ridiculous!"

"Sokka, I finally found you," his other self said, in exaggerated falsetto, "Did you finally come to rescue your princess?"

"Shut up! What's the big idea!"

The Princess of the Ruins, his other self, just tittered happily and brought her arms down. "Are you having fun in our little game, my hero? Won't you protect me from the evil people?"

_To be continued..._


	20. Anima

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_Author's Note: Strap yourselves in, this is a long one..._

_"When I'm in the box, my hits way outta this bounds."_

_- Mass Destruction FES_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 19: **_Anima_

There they stood.

Shadowy blue light, inverse colored floor tiles, a pixel perfect three-dimensional recreation of an ancient ruin, dressed in ridiculous clothing like characters from an old adventure game. Sokka, the hero, stared at his mirror image, his eyes meeting dark and cloudy, menacing duplicates of his own that were outlined with mascara.

His jaw hung open, and the only noise he made was a stunned grunt. The others seemed more amused.

"Well, are you here to save me? Or did you decide you liked roleplaying the villain more?"

The way he spoke, a shrill falsetto voice like an actor in a bad play, grated at all of their ears. Sokka's brain however wasn't exactly working. Whether that was from embarrassment or anger, well, no one was quite sure.

Yue stifled back a giggling fit, and tried her best to speak without provoking another one, "Sokka, we don't have time to deal with your other self right now."

"She's right, Sokka," Zuko said, apparently having dealt with his amusement already, "He may be in our way, but we have to find Azula before she ends up deleted."

"If you're going to save the girl, be my guest," the other Sokka said, tittering arrogantly, "But be warned, if you don't hurry and find your way out of this world before it's consumed, then there won't be any point in saving her."

Sokka shook off the shock, and his expression of shock was replaced with anger, "What's the big idea? Do you think this is a game?"

"Isn't it?" he asked, sashaying over, "Well, even if it isn't, there aren't anymore save points, nowhere you can go back to if you mess up, Sokka. I do hope you're up to the task this time."

"And let me guess, you know how to get out of here?" he retorted. He kept his eyes level.

"I do. And if you rescue me, I'll show you. But if you go and rescue her, I won't stand for that! I'm the princess here! I'm the important one!"

"So you're making us choose between Azula and you?" Zuko scoffed. "Come on, Sokka, we don't have to listen to this anymore."

"Oh, is that so, Sokka?" his other self retorted, "You can't tell me you're not considering leaving her behind. Aang did, and he was so much better a hero than you'll ever be."

That seemed to get Sokka's hackles raised. "You're right, Zuko, let's go find Azula before she gets in over her head."

Yue stayed close to Sokka as they walked past the other Sokka, casting a glance back at the cross-dressing duplicate. She shivered under the gaze of those calculating, shadowy eyes. "I don't like him," she said, "He's playing us."

"I know," Sokka said, "Because if this really was a game, I'd do the same."

"At least you're willing to admit that that's you," Yue said, relieved, "I would much rather not face whatever it is he would become if you did."

Sokka nodded, his face set in stone. But there was something unfinished about the facade, something not even Yue could detect. Down the stairs they climbed, and down deeper into the ruins.

The wave of deletion continued undeterred by their approach, and Azula for her part remained quick on her feet. Unfortunately, she was beginning to realize that it may be moving slowly, but it was catching up with every wrong turn she made. And, unfortunately for Azula, the rigors of the maze began to take its toll on her.

She was short on breath, and her eyes were beginning to get unfocused. The labyrinthine maze looked primitive, but it continued on forever and didn't seem set to stop.

"I won't let it end like this, not here," she muttered to herself. Xiao chose to abandon her at the worst possible time, and things were beginning to look desperate. She turned round a corner and saw grasping fingers crawl up from between the cracks, She backed away, turning on her heel and began to run.

Through the cracks, another aberration burst forth, its many hands passing around a blade like a baton. It moved swiftly after Azula, reaching out to grab her and pull her down.

* * *

In the clear light of day, Katara could make out the creature in more detail. Slick, shimmering black skin that wobbled like liquid with every one of its sudden and jerking movements, carried around on arms that jutted out of every free surface of its body.

The mask that covered its face was incomplete, fragments of it dropping while it moved, evaporating into a dark cloud as it hit the ground, and causing the distortions around it to turn dark and shadowy.

"It looks gross," Katara said.

"It feels grosser," Toph said, "It's jiggling. I - I don't have any words to describe how yuck it feels." She paused, and then grinned, "It's kind of cool, actually."

"Okay, Toph, that's all I needed to know."

"It's, like... ungulating!"

"Toph!"

"What, don't you think it's hypnotic?" she teased.

"No, Toph, it's charging this way at top speed!"

"Oh, right." Toph grinned and kissed her knuckles, "Let me handle this, Sweetness, I don't think you can handle this one. Just stand back and watch the master work."

The ground shattered as she propelled a rock forward, swinging her fist at it with enough force to send it shooting straight through the creature's body. It came out the other end, covered in inky pitch and continued clear into the distance. It craned its head downwards, looking at the hole as the substance refilled it with a loud slurping sound.

"Yuck," Katara muttered. "Toph, that didn't even work!"

"I said I got it!" Toph shouted back in frustration. She moved to launch a rockalanche at the creature when she detected the movement grow more uniform, and its arms grew rigid, preparing to come down for a strike. She shifted her weight, bringing her arms up sharply. The rocks underfoot jutted upwards, forming a barrier overhead.

First a clang as the spines hit the rock, then a loud smack as a series of arms struck simultaneously, turning the barrier into rubble in short order. "How the-" She could feel it move, and she moved to respond, launching the largest piece of rubble at the creature as fast as it could move.

It raised its arm, spine ready to come down at a point on Toph, and then, with the sharp piece of rubble cutting through it at the joint, it fell to the ground and flopped about like a fish on dry land.

Katara grimaced. It looked disgusting as it began to sublimate into a dark cloud. It wasn't just how utterly disturbing the spirit looked, but the damage to the surrounding landscape. The entire world froze in that moment, like a painting under black tinted glass. The fragments were beginning to come apart at the seams as the creature's very presence unraveled the world around them.

Toph was also quickly going through the ground around her.

The creature was busy looking at its severed limb, waiting to convalesce, and it seemed annoyed that its wound was not immediately repairing itself.

"Toph, be careful."

"I feel it, Katara!" she shouted right back. "This is bad."

The creature shook its severed limb and loosed an animalistic howl. It turned its attention back to Toph, its mask shifting upside down like an owl, bringing its remaining limbs up to strike. Toph widened her stance and stopped when she felt her toes hanging over a sheer drop that was not there a second ago.

"Sweetness, some back-up right around now would be good," she meekly squeaked.

"Right!" Katara said, finding the waterskin that appeared with her costume had remained even with the shift in clothes. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" She bended the water out of the skin and formed it into a wide arc as it washed over the creature.

It turned towards her and adjusted its mask back upright, making a confused whimper that soon turned into an angry screech. It brought its arms up and then, just as suddenly, stopped. A chill formed around it, and the water slowly formed into a long shackle across its arms. "Got you," she said, pleased.

"Nice one!" Toph laughed, "That'll teach it to mess with us!"

"It won't last long, Toph. We need a plan."

"Yeah, I got nothing. Where's Sokka when you actually need him?"

"Or Azula," Katara added, hunching over at the begrudging admission. "Maybe we can, I don't know - some of those cracks are looking really big now, maybe we could -"

"On it." Though she didn't know how she was going to do that. She could feel the places where the gaps were biggest, and they continued to grow, but she somehow didn't think this thing would be all that easy to push into them.

She shifted her feet, letting the earth underneath it churn and swallow it up. She frowned. She didn't know how this would work, but it was worth a shot. Already, she could feel the creature push against its shackles, and she could hear the ice begin to shatter.

"Okay, I don't know how this is going to work, so if you could get to thinking up some back-up plans, Katara."

"I'll try!"

She punched her fists into the ground, and then, once they were firmly rooted, punched again. the cracks became a long fissure, and the earth began to slide as the cracks in the world grew larger and larger.

The creature broke out of its shackles and its arms flailed wildly to dig itself out of the earth.

Toph moved back, trying to move away from the spindly fingers that were grasping desperately for anything solid to pull itself out of its slow slide into the space between. She could feel one of its fingers brush past her hair, and scrambled back.

Then one wrapped around her foot, and she fell into the dirt with an indignant grunt and in spite of herself, she began to feel a little fearful. "Let go!" she said as she kicked wildly at it. Its mask peered up at her, another hand reaching out to grab a hold of her.

She was going to be dragged down with it at this rate.

It was skewered by a lance of ice, "I've got you, Toph!" Katara shouted, melting the lance and launching it through the joint. The creature's howls of pain grew louder as it slid into the nothing between the cracks, its remaining arms grasping impotently at the solid earth.

Toph breathed a sigh of relief, "Way to keep me hanging, Sugar Queen!"

Katara laughed, a big feeling of relief washing over her. "Well, it's gone now, isn't it?"

Toph just stared until Katara's laugh infected her with the same joyous relief. She sniggered, "Man, that thing sure had grabby fingers."

"Bad unspeakable monster, no manners whatsoever!"

The cracks made an unpleasant sound as they got wider, and the laughter quickly faded. "Let's get out of here."

"Oh yeah."

They hurried away from the shattered pieces of the world, climbing up to a more concrete length of field. Katara scanned the horizon for some sign of where to go. "I don't see anything. What do we do?"

"We could try going to home."

"That's a long walk, Toph, I don't think that's right -"

"The base, Sweetness."

Katara paused, and then her cheeks took on a pink tinge, "Oh, of course. Home plate. That makes sense, doesn't it?"

"It just seems the Snoozles way."

The baseball diamond was pretty shattered, as well, time frozen as a pitch sailed past Sokka and was about to collide with the fence behind him. The fragments of the diamond rearranged around them, making a winding pathway down into the nothing.

"Looks like you were right, Toph."

"Go me. I officially know way more about how Snoozles thinks than anyone should."

They shared a nervous laugh as they walked down the winding path towards the pixelated eight-bit doorway at the bottom. "Well, we made it, somehow," Katara said, "Let's find the others and get out of this maze for good."

"Seconded."

Katara pressed the door lightly, listening to it bleep three times as it rose upwards, and stepped through. She found herself falling into a surprisingly large pool of water that surrounded a large statue. It seemed untouched by the glitches that had distorted everything else, and in fact, it looked quite lovingly crafted compared to the 'graphics' around them.

An inscription referred to it as the legendary hero. Katara could immediately tell who it was meant to be. "Aang. Sokka really looked up to you - it shows."

"Why am I wet?"

"Oh! Toph! Sorry," she hurried to help the blind girl out of the water, and started to dry themselves off, "Back to our silly adventure game look, I guess."

"At least I don't have to see mine."

"Oh ho ho ho ho!"

"It's not that funny, Katara."

"That wasn't me." She turned around slowly, in the direction of the voice. "Who's there?" She bended the water out of the pool in anticipation. "Show yourself!"

"It's just me," the voice said in falsetto, "A kidnapped princess who's waiting for her prince."

"No way," Toph said, breaking into a loud laugh, "_That's_ Sokka's other - oh man! He's going to be livid!"

"He already was. He rushed off to save someone else," the other Sokka said, "And now he's got to learn you can't save everyone. You two will do nicely for that."

Katara whipped the water at the other Sokka. It crashed against the ground where he had been standing before she blinked her eyes, making a loud, chip-based noise. Where he'd gone, she couldn't tell - until she felt something graze her back.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you - yet."

* * *

**Formatting 30% complete...**

Azula didn't have time to deal with the monsters that seemed to be crawling out of the metaphorical woodwork around her. She slammed one with a large two-by-two block she earthbended out of the ground and leapt over it.

The wave of deletion followed her undeterred by the monsters it swallowed up as it went. If anything, it was getting faster as time went on, and Azula was not getting any further away from it with everything rising up to stop her.

Where did Xiao go? She was supposed to show her the way!

She skidded to a stop.

Eight-bit skulls littered the floor in front of an immovable wall. A small well of water acting as the only decoration in the lonesome corner. "Dead end," she muttered. She turned back, though she couldn't see the wave of deletion, the crawling sound of the approaching monsters made it clear that she'd have to fight her way through - and that was looking to be more time consuming than difficult.

She balled her hands into fists and glared at the monsters defiantly. "If you want a fight, then you've found it. I hope you don't regret this decision!"

The monsters lurched and then stopped. Azula's stance faltered for a second. What were they doing? One of them flew towards her and landed against the wall, making a digitized splash sound as it hit the well. Another fell in two pieces right in front of her, dispersing into a black cloud shortly.

"Way to go, Zuko! That was impressive!"

"It was okay."

"Oh, don't be so moody, Sokka. I'm sure you would have been just as impressive."

Azula stared at the thinning rank of monsters. On the other side, she could Sokka, along with her brother and Yue, who both were dressed almost as ridiculously as Katara and Toph were."What took you so long?" she asked, angrily, as she shot forth a strong gale to knock a few straggling creatures out of her way.

"Sorry, we got a bit held up," Yue said, weakly, "But we shouldn't stay here. Whatever happened to the last few floors is happening here, as well."

"I'm aware. This place is formatting itself, we'll be deleted too if we don't move."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Oh, don't strain yourself too much, Zuzu, it simply means this entire world is resetting itself to a blank slate. Honestly, you were confused over which button was the 'Any' key before."

Sokka snickered in response, "Seriously?"

Zuko glared right back at Sokka, "Your other self."

"Oh you're going to play it like that, huh? Cold, man, I thought we were like this."

"You've found Sokka's other self?" Azula's expression brightened, if they could find him, they could find their way out of there.

"Well, yes," Yue said, holding back a giggle, "We did find Sokka's other self. It was rather unusual, even by this maze's standards."

"Oh not you too, Yue! I'm being betrayed!"

"It isn't that bad!"

Azula sighed, "I don't care. We need to find our way there. What about Katara and Toph? Can you locate them?"

"Uh, yes, but we should probably get someplace safer first."

"Oh, yes, the deletion wave is probably approaching. Lead on, Yue," Yue nodded and picked up the pace, running back down the passageway and towards a turn that Azula had not taken earlier. "Sokka, I see you haven't completely fallen into denial."

"Huh? Yeah, I guess not."

"I'm impressed. Maybe we can avoid more of those unpleasant incidents from before."

"Yeah, that'd be great, right?"

"So what is your other self like?" Azula grinned, fully aware that she was touching on a touchy subject. Sokka bristled, and didn't respond. "That bad, huh? It can't be any worse than Toph's or Katara's."

"Oh, it can," he muttered. Yue giggled, and Sokka snapped, "It's not that funny!"

"Yes it is!" Yue said between giggling fits.

"It really is bugging you, isn't it?" Azula was actually a bit taken back by that unfamiliar tone of voice she had adopted. "I will try and not laugh, if that makes you feel better, but if it is causing Yue to double over, I don't know how well I'll be able to hold it back."

"Eh, just try not to rub it in. Who knows what your other self is like, right?" he pointed out, casting her a sidelong glance. Not that she expected to have one. They ran up the stairs following Yue's lead.

"We need to get up three more floors," she said, turning a corner, "They're both up there, and it's directly in the middle of the - the deletion wave?" Azula nodded. It was the best way to describe the oncoming destruction.

"Well, that's just great."

**Formatting 50% complete... Please wait...**

"We better hurry."

* * *

The floor Yue led them to was closed off by a large metal gate with a large lock on it. Azula just stared at it vacantly for a minute before she even noticed that anyone else was talking. Zuko seemed to be just as annoyed.

"Let's just cut it down."

"I don't think we can," Yue said, "Sokka, what should we do?"

He walked up to the door and traced the number above the lock. "Hey, Azula, do you still have that key?"

"Of course." He held his hand out expectantly. She rolled her eyes and from her bag - which had suddenly become very organized - she took out the key.

"One of these days you're going to tell me where you got this," he muttered, taking it and putting it into the large keyhole. Despite the fact that the key was several sizes smaller than the lock, the tumblers seemed to click into place and the large lock fell to the ground, opening the door behind it.

"I can sense... him beyond that door," Yue said, quietly, "Are you ready to face yourself, Sokka?"

He slowly nodded.

"Then, let's not waste any time," Azula finished, heading into the door. She moved a little quicker than she intended, but she was very curious as to exactly what it was that led everyone to react like they did to the very mention of Sokka's other-self.

The door led to a long hallway, where the pixels weren't really corrupted like the rest of the world, and the place just felt dark, foreboding, and yet cartoonish. It seemed to go on forever, the distance being enveloped in shadows that actually had a degree of thickness to them.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sokka said, weakly.

"Sokka? Sokka! Help!"

"That was Katara!" Sokka's eyes darkened, "She's in trouble."

He ran off ahead of the rest, leaving Azula looking dumbfounded as he broke into a sprint. The echo carried in the long hallway, and she looked back at Yue and Zuko, who similarly looked anxious. "He's going to do something stupid, isn't he?" she wondered, aloud.

Zuko only nodded in response.

"Let's hurry."

A small point of light at the end of the darkness grow larger and more defined, almost blindingly bright as they dashed towards it. Azula clenched her eyes shut as she ran through the light and when she opened them she found herself face to face with a pixelated statue of Aang.

Unfortunately, suspended from that statue, upside-down, was Katara, and Toph besides her.

Underneath them, waving around a pair of golden fans threateningly, was - was -

"_That's_ Sokka's other self?" Azula burst into a fit of laughter, "You weren't wrong, Yue, that _is_ funny!"

"Shut up!" Sokka shouted. "And you, this is your last chance, let them go!"

"Or you'll do what?" the other Sokka said, in a high falsetto, "You made your choice already. Are you going to trade her for one of the others?"

"What? No!"

"Then you're going to fight me, unarmed? No offense, but we both know how little you're going to be able to do. Poor, poor Sokka, everyone always let you tag along, but you knew in your heart of hearts that they were just humoring you. Your little trick with the bat that night was neat, but when it came down to it, you weren't up to muster."

"This isn't about me," he retorted, "I said to let them go."

"But don't you see?" he said, dropping the falsetto, "This has always been about you. Sokka Floes is always about one person, always looking out for one person. Number one."

"I'm warning you, if you don't let them down right now..."

"Oh please. You know, you always hated that Azula named Aang the leader. He was always coming to you for advice, and there you were, idea-guy, toiling away, making the tough decisions and then he has the gall to go and play hero!" He was speaking in the falsetto again, waving the fans about madly, "Always had to show us up! Always! Always! I can't stand that guy!"

"That's not - no, you're trying to trick me. You're saying things that aren't true just so I mess up and you get to do the evil shadowy death thing. Well it isn't going to work. I know you're me. I'm not going to deny you."

The other Sokka shouted, angrily, "You think it's that easy! Mr. Macho Man isn't going to admit his weakness to anyone, but I will. I'll tell everyone just how weak and pathetic you really are!"

Sokka paled, "What are you talking about?"

The other Sokka grinned, his dark, shaded eyes glimmering like a black diamond, "Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"

"This is another trick -"

"Sure doesn't look like it, Sokka. Admit it, your pulse is racing, you're not trying to think about what weakness I'm talking about," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "You're trying to figure out _which_."

"Oh no," Yue whispered, "His other-self is -"

"I see that," Azula interrupted. It was clear what was happening. Even if he wasn't saying it aloud, Sokka was beginning to deny his other self. The shadows in the room were getting more and more oppressive. She had to do something. "Zuko, we need a plan to free - Zuko?"

He was already gone. "Oh dear."

"Yue, make sure Sokka doesn't say anything he'll regret," Azula said before she broke into a sprint after Zuko. He rushed headlong into the situation, dao blades drawn and ready to cut the girls free.

Unfortunately, the other Sokka looked directly at him and simply smiled. It was the same sort of smile Sokka wore when he had a plan all formulated and he was so cocky and self-assured that he was more than happy to let it show.

Zuko plowed straight through, ducking down and leaping into the air. "Zuko, you idiot!" Azula called after him, just as the other Sokka moved without seeming to actually travel the distance between the two points. One moment, he was in front of Sokka, the next, his knee was in Zuko's back, and throwing him to the ground.

"See that, Sokka? See how pointless heroics are?" He slammed his foot against Zuko's back. "Pathetic. Why should you even bother trying to save anyone? No one will even _care_."

Azula sliced the air, forming an edge with the gusts of wind. The other Sokka saw it and disappeared, appearing right in front of Azula, "You missed."

"Wasn't aiming for you," she answered, confidently.

The other Sokka's heavily made-up face hung long, and he turned around. The frayed ends of the rope dangled off of the statue, while Zuko was now breaking the falls - unwittingly - of the two girls. Katara, for her part, was apologizing. Toph had different plans.

"You jerk!" she shouted. "I'm going to make you pay for that one!"

The other Sokka laughed, "Oh you're rich, Azula, really. See Sokka, it took a girl to do what you couldn't. What a pathetic man, having to be rescued by a girl."

"I don't care," Sokka said, "I _accept_ you, I know you're a part of me, I'm _not_ resisting."

The other-Sokka sighed, and said, loudly and aside, "He's coping. Listen, Sokka, you can say it all you want, but it doesn't mean you feel it. I know what you're feeling. Just let it out, come on, you can say it. Just three words."

"You -" He trembled, his fists literally working to contain the anger and humilation. Azula frowned. She couldn't stop it, and for what it was worth - she was beginning to look forward to this.

"Almost."

"You're... not me," he growled. "Stop trying to put words in my mouth, you are not me!"

"FInally!" the other Sokka shouted. The shadows that loomed so oppressively burst forth as though a levee broke, washing over him as Sokka fell to the ground, unconscious. The shrill laugh grew louder and louder as the shadows slowly subsided.

"What the -" Toph stepped back, "Whoa, whoa, what is happening to him!"

"The other self is going out of control," Yue said, "I'm a bit worried, though. I think ... I think he's holding back!"

"Was I this bad?"

"No, Toph," Katara said, "You had a tank."

"Sweet."

The other Sokka emerged from the shadows clutching the twin bladed fans tightly in his hands. The make-up on his face was chipped, his eyes having vanished into shadows. A lemniscate adorned the battle helmet that had replaced the ornate crown, and though they almost seemed like dresses, the pleated clothing he wore was clearly built for battle.

He laughed, his mouth did not move, but his face changed, pieces of discarded porcelain sprinkled on the ground behind him. "I am the true self beneath the mask! I'll prove to you all just how much better I am than that pathetic slouch!"

"Here he comes!" Yue shouted. But by the time anyone heard her, he'd already moved. Azula remained focused on the scene around her. There was no way he was moving that fast, there had to be some sort of sleight of hand involved - behind her!

She ducked out of the way of the bladed fans just in time, but her feet suddenly tripped up in his spinning sweep.

She was nearly to the ground when she felt the earth rise up to stop her, "I got you! Hey, Honey britches, over here!"

She slammed the ground and let the earth rise up around her, anticipating his next move. The other Sokka just walked slowly around them, tittering into his fan like a demented noblewoman. "Come on," Toph shouted, "Or are you chicken!"

"Oh-hohoho!"

"Stop laughing!" Toph grunted, "Fight me like a man!"

It didn't seem to even bother him. Which bothered Azula more than she cared to admit. Either this other self lacked all of Sokka's machismo, or he was more cunning than she gave him credit for and neither of those options seemed, well, right.

"Words, Tophy, hurtful words," he said in sing-song falsetto. "Besides, didn't you hear me move?"

"What?" Toph suddenly shout out one of the barriers out like a slicing blade - right at Katara. "Gah! Move it, Katara!"

Katara stared at the thing for an eternity. She barely even noticed that it never hit her, actually, she just stood dumbfounded, as two fans seared through the rock like a hot knife through butter, leaving nothing but tetris-block rubble on the ground.

Toph was caught in a state of shock, just trying to figure out why she didn't even notice Katara there, and why she just acted, so lost in all of these thoughts that she barely noticed that the other Sokka was on top of her.

Azula, thankfully, did.

Water wrapped around the imposter like a whip, leaving a nasty welt along his face. The porcelain cracking and falling to the ground was quickly replaced by a face like a nasty scowl. "How _dare_ you lay a finger on my fine self!"

Azula gave him a cocky smirk. "Oh, yes, very impressive. You attacked a blind girl. Do you want a medal for your clearly world class ability to pick an unfair fight?"

The other Sokka's face broke into a laughing expression - quite literally. The pieces of porcelain on the ground tinkled in a real manner, even among the eight-bit architecture. The room was coated in red, Azula noticed. They were fighting a major boss, she supposed, the room changed to reflect that.

He walked leisurely around Katara, and over towards Zuko.

With a shout, Zuko swung his blades, but Sokka's imposter caught them on the bladed fans, and then, like he wasn't even there, struck at his back with a fierce kick. Zuko slid across the ground , and rolled to a stop. Another laugh.

He was playing them.

But Azula couldn't figure out how!

"We need a plan," she said, "Everyone, group up."

Zuko rose to his feet, "Forget your plans, Azula."

"Zuzu, you just got taken out with one blow, I think you need to listen to me instead of going off on your little heroics act," Azula retorted. "We're going to lose if you keep going off the handle like this."

That laugh continued, undeterred by the talk. Where had he even gone? They could hear him laugh, but not see him. Azula had a sinking feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. "Yue, are you sensing anything about this one? Anything at all different?"

"Yes, now that you mention it," she said, "It doesn't feel very strong compared to the others."

"Hah, Snoozles is a slouch and so is his other self."

"No, I don't think so," Katara said, "Sokka may not be able to bend, but he's been able to stand toe to toe with some powerful enemies without needing it. I'd say if anything, his other side should become an even more powerful spirit than ours."

"That's why I think he's holding back," Yue said, "Which makes me nervous."

Is he really holding back? He wouldn't be beating them if he was weak, Azula reasoned. The only other explanation was that - "That's not his other self."

"What?"

The fans flew through the air, landing right at Azula's feet. She looked in the direction they came from. The other Sokka laughed from an alcove above them, descending to grab the fans and then slicing upwards with them. Azula barely moved back in time. "It's the only explanation, Yue. See if you can find something we missed before, some trick - something!"

He sliced at her again and she dodged back. Her eyes widened as she bumped into someone, and turning around, there he was, lemiscate gleaming. But he was just in front of her a second ago. No one could move that fast!

"Oh-hohoHO!"

Azula felt it cut her, and she fell to the ground, her eyes losing focus. No one touched her like that, no one could beat her in a fair fight. This was - this was inconceivable. "How dare _you!_" she retorted, getting to her feet. "I'll make you pay for that!"

"Azula's angry," Yue observed.

"Calm down!" Katara shouted, "He's going to eat you alive!"

"She isn't listening," Yue further bemoaned, "Oh, this is just dreadful. What does she mean by this being a fake? I'm positive that's his other self! The spirit and Sokka feel almost identical," she fretted further, since she'd never had her senses fail her before.

It was a kind of all-knowing might that came from being practically a deity. The Moon Spirit saw all, watched all, and so there were very few illusions that would get by - in fact, she would shyly admit, she was the one more likely to cause illusions than be tricked by them.

As Azula's gusts of wind blew out a brazier and cast the room into further darkness, and the other Sokka brought his fans down upon her, she suddenly noticed something she hadn't before.

For the briefest of moments, she could sense not one fake Sokka, but two.

"She's right. This is all wrong," Yue murmured.

"What is it?" Katara asked. Zuko and Toph rushed in at the other Sokka, Toph shot out square and L shaped blocks at him, and Zuko's swords seemed to slice clean through him. The next moment, they both fell to the ground.

"Nearly simultaneously, no one is that fast - we're only seeing one, but there are others. At least three," Yue said, "I'm certain of that. They must be able to hide themselves somehow - but I don't understand how!"

Azula's gusts of winds interrupted Yue's concentration, throwing another corner of the room into darkness as the lights were blown out. The other Sokka just laughed haughtily, and lured Azula closer. She was walking right into a trap and - Katara struck first, forcing the other Sokka's hand. "No way, you're not going to ambush Azula."

"Don't make me hurt you," he sneered in a falsetto.

"Oh, I'd like to see you try."

"Katara, out of the way. I know what I'm doing," Azula retorted.

"Azula, he's not alone!" she said, "There are others all over, at least three, probably more."

"I don't care!" Azula retorted, "This fool needs to learn that no one disgraces Azula Houou and gets away with it."

For not the first time since she entered the maze, Azula missed her firebending. She'd sear that lesson into his flesh that way, which seemed altogether satisfying, though possible impossible if the rest of his body was made of porcelain.

A sound of broken porcelain - behind her? But he was in front of her. Something didn't add up. The attack came from her side, though, knocking her to the ground. She felt a heavy boot on her stomach. "Stupid girl. I can't believe how arrogant you are, thinking you can outthink me. I outsmarted spirits a thousand times more cunning than you!"

"You were almost there, too!" He pressed down hard on her belly, leaving her winded and disoriented. "See how sad you are? I even gave you a hint."

What was he talking about. If only she could push his foot off of her, she could get back at him. What sort of hint could he be talking about? "Get off."

He brandished the fans, "Oh, I don't think so. I'm going to enjoy this."

Toph was the first to respond, "Yeah, right! Eat this!" She kicked an s-shaped block of earth at him, and it collided straight with his face. The porcelain fell to the ground, and an unearthly laugh emitted, distorted and yet, still horribly haughty.

"Oh-HOhOhoHo!"

Another porcelain mask appeared to replace it as he brought his hands up to his face, "That was the best you could do, Toph?"

Toph hesitated, "Oh, I'll show you what else I can do!"

"Toph, don't!"

Yue's warning came too late. Just as Toph began to charge at him, he shifted. Almost like he'd never left, and yet, Toph's body rose up into the air like she'd just been struck. The briefest sensation of relief was fleeting as a waking dream. Yue fretted.

"Who's next? Zuko?" Sokka waved his bladed fans around, "Katara? I'm waiting. I mean, I can wait all day, but I don't think 'zula's got the time. That right, 'zula?"

"Shut up," Azula said, "If you even try it, you'll be dead."

The other Sokka's face changed to one more perplexed, "Will I?"

Zuko and Katara stood transfixed. Neither one seemed to be moving a muscle. "That's right, you will." Zuko exchanged a glance with Katara, who only nodded. A quiet agreement. Wait and see, she told him, Azula seemed to have things in hand.

Which remained as frightening as when it had been her as the enemy.

The other Sokka looked at his fans, and then frowned, "I doubt it."

Azula tensed her body. She hadn't had time to test the theory, since she only came up with it a second ago, but the principle was sound, at least, from what she'd observed with Toph. All she had to do was let him push her down.

As he readied his blades, she could feel her body push against the earth. She refused to move. The earth would have to instead.

And she'd do everything in her power to make sure it hurt him when he pushed again.

Blades glimmering in the dimming firelight, a momentary sense of understanding, and then the sound of the earth rebelling against the force pushed upon it, the other Sokka's helm and mask were entirely smashed by the explosion of blocks that sounded as Azula pushed herself down.

He reeled and crumpled like a ragdoll. And then, there only momentarily, was gone.

"That was not very nice."

The anger on his face was evident, and he looked none the worse for wear. He stepped forward, and Zuko's swords came up to him. The blades repelled him, but Zuko wouldn't stop. They parried and struck each other in a complex framework of blade strikes masquerading as dance steps. Zuko struck, which was dodged, and then Zuko in turn dodged the other Sokka's strike. This repeated across the floor, until Zuko's blade struck true, and yet, as the image faded, it was clear that the whole time, Sokka had been behind him.

"No!" Toph struck first, preventing the bladed fans from touching Zuko. She threw a punch and then slammed a spire of earth around his back.

As the other Sokka repelled the attack, his attention turned to Azula. Katara insisted on looking her over for any more cuts, and Azula didn't have time for that. "We need to get those lights."

"Azula, you're not thinking straight."

"I _am_," she said with wild eyes. "Those lights are the source."

"I thought you weren't a fan of darkness."

Azula grumbled, "Don't think I'm happy about this!"

Katara sighed, "Okay, I'll get the lights on the far side." Azula nodded, turning back to the task of blowing out the lights. She heard Zuko grunt as his blades cut through thin air again, and glanced over her shoulder.

Golden bladed fans coming in fast, she thought, rather sedately even by her own admission, he was getting a bit nervous about what she was doing.

That was good. That she could work with. She ducked under the attack and spun around, letting the winds build up around her as she did. If he was going to interrupt her, she may as well use him to get this done quicker.

The room was dimming on the other end, with the tired hiss of flames being extinguished by water. Katara remained focused on her task, and tried to ignore the feeling that Sokka's other self was avoiding her for some reason.

In fact, she wouldn't be standing if it wasn't for him.

Another brazier extinguished, another question for another time. Azula was taking her time on her end. She hurried towards them. Another light dimmed, and then another. Azula ducked and dodged around the other Sokka's strikes expertly, and her moves all threw attacks directly at the braziers around the room.

"I noticed you stopped laughing," Azula taunted.

"Oh be quiet, you harpy!" he answered in shrill falsetto. He'd caught on, and now she was having difficulty reaching that last corner of the room. He knocked her down with a kick and drew up the bladed fans.

Zuko rushed in, swords flashing in the dying light. The other Sokka's fans collided with the swords, and grunted, angrily, "And you, too, Zuko?"

"You're ticking me off," Zuko retorted. "Stand still!"

Azula leapt to her feet, "Keep him busy, Zuko. I need to finish this, now." She broke into a run, ignoring the other Sokka calling her to stop.

Zuko didn't really want to think about how he'd pin down someone who appeared to teleport. He'd have to improvise. "Hitting a girl, Sokka? You sunk to a new low," he grinned.

The other Sokka frowned, the fragments of porcelain falling from his face to the ground. "You have no idea what you're about to see."

Azula leapt up and descended with a large whirlwind around her, the flames flickered as the winds Azula grinned as they flickered out, covering the room in darkness. Now she was going to find out just what the trick was.

Yue screamed.

She was hoisted up off the ground, a nearly invisible string wrapped around her.

"Yue!" Azula rushed over, leaping through the air to sever the line. What was going on! This was supposed to clear things up!

"Azula, look out," Yue called out. Azula turned around. Two of him - there in plain sight, moved towards her, their fans moving strangely through the air, like their arms were being moved from somewhere else. She looked up.

The ceiling writhed, hands holding onto bundles of strings that moved them like marionettes. Hanging at the center of the room, arms jutting out from his back, a more grotesque and monstrous version of the other Sokka hung. The arms seemed to all be attached to the writhing hands, each of them working the strings of a marionette.

His make-up was yellowed and ancient, the red was faded almost to nothing, and the lemniscate on his helm had been broken. You could see through the make-up to the other side of the helm, and that alone was disturbing, especially with those red points of light making up his eyes.

"This is the spirit's true form," Azula frowned, "The rest of this time we were getting beat up by puppets? How - how embarrassing."

"Just point me at him so I can beat him up!" Toph shouted. The other Sokka's feet dangled just above the ground, rendering him mostly invisible to Toph. When it spoke, it spoke in a deep, inhuman voice - and yet it still seemed to be affecting a falsetto. The resulting noise was, at least by Azula's admission, disturbing. But that may just be the feeling of standing in darkness, where the walls and floor just disappeared into emptiness, and that feeling came over her again.

"I am the true self!" The sword he held - if held were the right word for the thing jutting out of his arm - was black on black, nearly invisible if not for the gleam of red from the light coming from his eyes. "Just because you managed to see past my trap, don't think you've won."

The marionette Sokka's moved back to life as the arms started to move violently, shifting the entire weight of his body with them. There were many of them, each wearing a different expression on their faces. They moved in on Azula like a small army.

Zuko felt wires wrapping around his ankles and soon was hoisted upside down. He swung his blades around at the cords and found himself falling to the ground in short order. More and more wires shot out of the lingering hand.

Its gnarled fingers wriggled as the wires wrapped around his arms and flung him up into the air. Another hand awaited him, clenched into a fist. It rushed towards Zuko. Zuko grunted and shoved his head forward.

Fist collided with skull. Skull came out the victor.

The other-Sokka seemed entirely too unconcerned with that. The marionettes moved precisely, amazingly coordinated all at once. He brought up his arm, the edge of his blade shining brightly. And then he brought the blade down.

It collided with the large block of stone that was fired straight at him.

"Shouldn't have spoke up, bozo, I can find you just fine."

The other-Sokka's face had an empty, lifeless smirk on it. "I bet you can." He motioned with one of the massive, gnarled hands for her to come. "Bring it."

He stepped on the ground, and Toph smirked, "Got you right where I want you." She let the earth underneath him start to sink, and with her next movement, stepping forward with apparent care, she sent a rising spine of rocks over towards him.

He moved through the air like he was flying, suspended by the giant arms that shot out of his back unnaturally. The giant sword rose up. "No way!" Toph said, bringing a barrier of stone up in front of her.

The sword collided and shattered the barrier, but he reeled far, leaving himself unable to follow up immediately. Toph moved back, kicking up big earth walls and shooting them out at him.

Katara thought, all in all, it looked very impressive, but she couldn't figure out why he was ignoring her. He could easily have assigned some of the marionettes to her, or maybe wrap her up in wire like he was trying to do with Zuko - though Zuko seemed to be managing out of them by himself with surprising ease - or even focusing on her himself, along with Toph. She had a water whip at the ready, and she slowly approached him.

She wondered if maybe, just maybe, he hadn't noticed her? She had to make this strike count. If she could just break his concentration it would all coming falling down like a house of cards. She knew this, because she was his sister, regardless of how terrible and monstrous this thing was.

She readied the whip. He was almost in range and - he looked straight at her. He knew she was there, and yet, there was no move made to stop her. "What -"

"Katara, do something!" Azula shouted from the mess of marionettes. Their sharp fans seemed to sail just by her.

Toph focused on the defensive while Zuko wormed his way out of another set of wires and made a break towards Yue. "Right. Just, something, fine," she said. She figured Toph, despite her pride, was in the most trouble, so she let loose the water whip, turning it solid ice as it collided.

The blow hit the other-Sokka clean in the face. He raised it back up and focused on her.

Now she was in for it. "Don't make me hurt you, sis."

"Sokka -"

"I want to savor that," he said with a low, growling tone.

Katara frowned "You want to fight me alone?" She smiled. This was her chance. "Fine. You and me. Just like old times, right?"

The other Sokka paused, letting Zuko cut loose Yue and looking over at the marionettes piled on top of Azula. "Make sure no one interferes, or they won't even see the blade."

"What are you doing, Katara!" Toph shouted, "First off, I had him, second off, what are you thinking, he's going to murder you."

"I got it, Toph," Katara assured her, though the quiver in her voice did not go unnoticed. "Just stay calm."

"Like - ugh, fine, Sweetness, if you get yourself cut in half, you won't hear me crying."

The marionettes withdrew and Zuko's blade lowered as the wires stopped coming after him. The other-Sokka smiled lifelessly at all of them.

"What's going on?" Azula shouted, "Why are you taking him on alone?"

"Don't worry," Katara said, "I've got this. You can't hog the spotlight all the time, Azula."

She drew the water up from the pool in the center of the room. It was dark like the shadows, but it felt no different from any other watersource she'd used. She prepared herself. "Getting scared? Can't abscond, sis."

**Formatting 90% complete... estimated time remaining... 20 minutes...**

"I wasn't planning on running," she retorted. "I'm just getting ready." Not that she had much time, she thought, glumly.

"Well, whenever," he said, sitting in mid-air. He waved the sword arm around boredly, "Though it'll be over before you even act."

Azula wished he would shut up. Toph wished Katara wasn't being so stupid. Zuko just wanted this to be over with.

And Katara, Katara brought the water up around her like the tendrils of an octopus. "Okay, Sokka. Bring it." The marionettes rushed first. Katara kept her focus. They all moved close, but none of their blades touched her. She kept perfectly still. If she flinched, she'd miss it.

The actual hit - it would come from - yes, behind her. She turned the tendril lashing out and deflecting his arm. He was still relying on misdirection. Typical Sokka, act like a complete idiot when he was only a partial one.

He reeled with the deflected attack, but swung back, his sword at the ready. Katara leapt back. After all she'd been through, dealing with this shouldn't have been quite as uncomfortable as it was. Lash after lash, it would leave welts if she thought this imposter Sokka had any flesh to welt.

Instead, he seemed to move side to side like he was riding some amusement park ride, and that unchanging smile did little to dissuade that illusion.

The groping fingers descending from the ceiling, however, did.

The other-Sokka grinned, readying his sword with incredible flourish. The water splashed harmlessly where Katara was standing as she was lifted up to the ceiling.

"Katara!" Toph shouted, getting ready to run out.

Azula's hand fell on her shoulder, and she tightened her grip, "No. Katara has this under control."

"Yeah, right! She's one person against an evil Sokka with like a really big sword!"

"I must agree with Toph, this one is much stronger than I anticipated," Yue said, "She's not going to do much on her own, Azula."

"She'll be fine," Azula answered, "Isn't that right, Zuzu?"

Zuko looked over at the mention of his nickname and scowled, "What are you talking about?"

"Katara. She's going to be just fine, isn't she?"

He shrugged, "Probably. Sokka's little trick isn't going to work."

"How can you say that," Toph grumbled, "Maybe my being blind is sort of messing with this? Enlighten me, oh wise President Zuko."

Zuko grumbled, "Fine. Katara's a waterbender, and a good one. She wouldn't have let that stance break for anything. She's playing a gambit."

The other-Sokka stepped forward, readying the sword to skewer her.

"And for all his brains," Zuko said, "Sokka's ego doesn't let him do anything that isn't big."

He slid his feet into a wide stance.

"And Katara's the one person who knows that better than anyone."

His feet kept sliding. "What the - Katara!" That low grumble got even deeper as he fell of his feet and was pulled back by the long arms, the wood struts that reinforced them bounced. "Not bad, Katara, not bad at all."

He dropped her and then moved forward, his arms propelling him through the air. "Too bad it isn't enough!"

Katara raised the ice off the ground, letting it return to water and she prepared to face his charge head on. "I hope she knows what she's doing," Zuko muttered.

"Now Zuko's not so sure about this. Azula, can't we do something?"

Azula shook her head, "She's got him where she wants him. He thinks he's setting the speed of the match, but he's not. Katara's been reacting to every change of pace too well." The strike sailed through the air as Katara ducked to the side, letting the water solidify as he sailed through it. "She's been anticipating it. It's like if I had to fight you again, Zuzu, I just know you too well."

"Like that worked out well last time," Toph scoffed.

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Oh, right, memory blanking."

She sighed. One of these days she'd figure out every little detail they were talking about. Right now, she was too busy watching the other-Sokka react to the ice that had wrapped around him. He broke free, and tore at his face to remove fragments from his eyes.

Katara struck with a series of ice lances. One went right through the sword arm, detaching it at the elbow. The others went after the large arms controlling the marionettes. They stuck inside the narrow, skinny bits of flesh-like material, and did little but cause him irritation.

Well, obviously she was still experimenting with that part of the equation, Azula reasoned, but she had faith in Katara. Which disturbed her more than anything, actually, but she wasn't about to let that show.

"You know, sis, this has been fun, but I think it's high time I get to finishing you."

He looked at where the sword arm had once been, and frowned, "Oh, I see. Very clever." He looked over at where the sword dropped. The arm was missing, but the sword, hilt and all, looked perfectly normal on the ground. He frowned. "There's something I forgot to tell you, Katara. I'm not left-handed."

"Oh, I figured that out," Katara said.

Sokka waved his left hand about, vaguely, "I'm a little more omni-dextrous. I'd explain the joke to you, but you wouldn't get it."

"Katara, above you!" Yue shouted.

The hands fell down, some of them far too short, and the grunt of irritation from the other-Sokka indicated that it wasn't for want of trying, but most of them came awful close. Katara just ran through the empty spaces and launched a wave of water at the other Sokka.

The massive hunch of his back from exerting so much force made it so he couldn't respond in time, and the water washed over him with enough force to push his back to the ground. The resounding thud was loud, and it startled the captive audience.

"She did it?" Toph sounded incredulous.

Azula smirked. She wouldn't have expected any less. Waterbending, with her brief crash course on it, focused on reaction instead of control, and Sokka, whatever good there was to say of it aside, was always trying to control every variable. Katara just had to see, react, and turn that control on its head.

In a lot of ways, Sokka hadn't stood a chance. Idly, she wondered if perhaps all of their styles had some manner of counter. It wouldn't surprise her, and when she had time, she made a note to discover hers and remove it.

Katara for her part, chose to react. As soon as he hit the ground, the long arms along his back came crashing to the ground. The wood poles attached to them clattered as they touched the ground. He groaned angrily, and slowly pulled himself to his feet, even as more of the arms fell around Katara.

"Katara!"

He tried to lift one of the arms, the marionettes that laid crumpled on the ground rising up with it, their fans at the ready. Katara turned as soon as she heard the noise of the armored dresses scraping against each other, the water she held at the ready lashing out in a wide arc.

The first reeled back, throwing the arm wildly out of shape, but the next came through and struck her. The razor edge left a long, straight reminder on her arm, and she pushed back. The other-Sokka didn't seem at all pleased.

"Not bad," she said. Water wrapped around her arm and shimmered. When it dropped, the cut was gone.

"I won't have you emasculate me like this!" he hissed, launching himself up onto his feet and charging. The marionettes moved behind her, and the other hands were brought to the ready. Katara turned on her heel, and struck out against the marionette-Sokkas. The fists collided with her as the ice wrapped one of the puppets up, and she shrieked in pain.

"I was afraid of this," Zuko said, "He's getting serious."

"So, we jump in?"

"Not yet," Azula said, looking anxious, "Not yet."

"Come on, even you can't want to watch Katara get steam-rolled by this thing!"

"She can beat him," Azula responded.

"Maybe," Zuko added.

"Oh dear. Oh dear," Yue repeated to herself.

The arms didn't immediately continue their pummeling. They were too long, too lanky to really control. It took time for them to move into position, and the frustration at this was obvious in the grunts and mild curses the other-Sokka grumbled. The arms were built for puppeteering, to be puppet-master behind the assault and not the agents.

The marionettes, though their numbers were dwindling, still moved with enough speed and coordination that Katara was beginning to grow distracted. "Come on, Sokka, playing with toys, still?" she grunted as she cut one loose of its strings with a narrow strip of water.

The other Sokka didn't respond. He was too busy searching for where the sword landed.

"Sokka?"

She turned around, taking a kick to her stomach the hurt a bit more than she expected. She saw him searching, and knew exactly what he was looking for.

"We need to get that sword," Azula said, realizing exactly what was happening, "If he gets it back, Katara's back to square one."

"And that's bad."

"That's really bad, now that he's focused," Azula continued. "He's not going to try for the big finish, he's just going to stab."

"That's probably right."

How the tide of battle turned on her, Katara wasn't sure, but when she saw Zuko and Toph running for the sword, she felt a bit of relief, as well as a knot tighten in her stomach. How Sokka would react to this would be - well - it'd be interesting, at any rate.

"Sokka!" she called, "I said I find it embarrassing as your sister to see you playing with dolls!"

That got his attention.

He stumbled over, the weight of the arms slowing him down considerably. "What was that?" he asked in his low, grumbling, and yet strangely feminine voice.

"You heard me."

He let out an unintelligible scream and came at her with his long arms. The attacks came down like a rain of blows, and Katara reacted, moving through them, attacking those she could. The arms landed on the ground when severed and laid there like long poles in the mud, only, these poles had strange, almost claw-like appendages still attached.

Which was all the more disturbing. Katara ignored that and just focused on Sokka. He looked lopsided. The arms on his one side outweighed the ones on his other, and the lack of balanced also seemed to bring with it a hesitance. He pulled back his attack and started to fumble backwards.

He looked around, desperately, and saw that Toph had grabbed the sword. "Katara!" she said, "Here!" She threw the sword across the ground towards Katara.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Katara shouted back.

"Azula said to give it to you, so I did. You're going to have to ask her what her brilliant plan is."

That wasn't going to happen, Katara glumly thought. Even if her pride let her ask, she knew Azula would just look at her like she were some manner of imbecile.

The important thing about a sword that she knew was that the pointy end goes in the bad guy. Well, she wasn't going to get in close enough like this. She needed to make an opportunity. She picked it up. She bended the water up into a wave over top her, she could feel droplets falling on her head, and the could see the other-Sokka unsure of what to do.

"Oh no," he grumbled. "This isn't going to be pleasant."

"Yeah, no kidding," Katara retorted, washing the wave down on him. She bended the water around him, letting it slowly solidify. The arms were held at uncomfortable angles, and his feet dangled above the ground.

He struggled to get free.

"Now!" Azula shouted from the sidelines, but Katara didn't need Azula's commentary.

She ran forward with the sword and brought it down in an awkward and slow slash.

"No!" The other-Sokka's scream echoed as the darkness subsided. Around them, the wave of deletion seemed to stop, just short of the room they were in. The eight-bit pixels seemed to brighten, they looked almost cheerful.

The monstrous other-Sokka faded into the darkness as well, leaving only the princess behind. And Sokka woke up with a start. He came face to face with the buzzing deletion wave. "Whoa, what just happened -"

The other-Sokka stared at him and broke down into a fit of tears.

"Oh, oh man, it happened didn't it?" he said.

Katara just stared at him and sat down. She breathed heavily. "Sokka, remember when we used to fight and Dad would throw a fit?"

Sokka blinked, looking her over, "You look like you went ten rounds with a boar-q-pine."

"You could put it that way."

"I can't ever win, no matter what I do!" the other-Sokka cried out, "I just keep losing!"

"Oh, right, you - I know you, now," Sokka said, lamely. "Okay, let me just get my words together. I'm pretty bad at this when it counts."

"Just hurry up, there's no telling how long this place will continue to exist!" Azula snapped.

"Right, right. Look, me," he said, sitting by the sobbing Princess Sokka, "I know we made some big mistakes, and, well, I wasn't the best person to my friends all the time, either. I know you're me, now, and I know why I created you. I don't know how many times I kept thinking about the Solstice. Aang gave up everything to save us, and I kept thinking, maybe if I went back to this point, or did something different back then, he'd be here now."

He sighed, "But life doesn't work that way. You can't just go back to a save-point and make that other decision, so I've got to live with the consequences. Aang seemed like he knew the whole time just what he'd have to do - I can't just blame myself for not knowing back then what I do now. It's just making things all complicated."

The other-Sokka looked at him with wide eyes and nodded, slowly.

As he disappeared, so did the room they were in. It seemed like they were floating around in space, again, and in the distance, against the white light, a door appeared. Sokka looked down at his uniform and sighed, "Guess I'm back to being just Sokka, Normal Guy."

"Oh thank you!" Yue said, happily, "I have my modesty back!"

Katara stood up, and shook her head, "Oh, Yue." She walked over to Sokka, "Hey, big brother, you forgot this."

"My sword!" he said, eyes widening, "You found it!"

"You tried to stab me with it - the other you - pretty badly, too."

"Were you praying alone in an ancient city?"

"Not that I knew of," Katara added, quietly. What was he talking about?

"Then you were probably safe," he said. "So! Let's go and - whoa that's catching up with me."

"Let's get back into the maze," Azula said. "Zuko, help Sokka stand, I don't think we're getting very far with him on his feet."

"Whatever," Zuko muttered.

"Whatever? What happened to my amenable and friendly big brother?" Azula asked. He just glared at her. She probably deserved that one.

And as they walked towards the door, Azula turned back and noticed that above the plain of white, in pixelated letters that cast a shadow on the ground, was written: **You Win. Thank You For Playing**.

"Of course," she said, smirking. She always won.

_"... Needless to say, my ego was returning in full. By this time, I think I was beginning to view myself not just as a temporary replacement for Aang, but his successor. It was a dangerous line of thought, and I think it began to seep into how I led the group, just a bit. I was more draconian, more imperial._

_I could see it was beginning to grate on Zuko. I didn't think anything of it. Zuko hated authority that wasn't his own. Father issues, doubtlessly, rooted from our father's brilliant parenting. Even I, his beloved daughter, could see that as a father, President Ozai was not particularly skilled. Still, for the longest time, he was the only parent I had - or the only one I cared to admit, anyway..._

_Which is why it shouldn't have been so surprising what came next. In fact, I was surprised it took so long. We'd soon discover the next door, and I would soon be forced to confront the reality that I was not only mortal, but I was also only -_

_- even now it's hard to admit -_

_- Human."_

_To be continued_

_Author's Note: Two days late, but certainly not a dollar short. I think this is safe to say the longest chapter I have for the story. A two phase boss-fight, a showdown, and set-up for the next arc, all of which I was tempted to split down the middle, but, I think the chapter works best as a whole. There are only two or three more mini-arcs before the finale, too, which is exciting. I hope to reach that point before July 6th, but that's seeming more and more unlikely. _


	21. Yellow Matter Custard

_**My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"My life'll turn out - it doesn't seem like it could be last for my life... When stars're smiling at moon, wonder how they look in your eyes."_

_- When the Moon's Reaching Out the Stars - Reincarnation-_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 20: **_Yellow Matter Custard_

She didn't know what to do.

The maze was washed out, colorless, and everything seemed dimmer. The passages and their constant repetition were starting to do - do something to her brain, making her forget what color looked like, everything seemed to be getting dimmer, and dimmer.

And the entire foundation that she built herself up from - she felt it cracking under her own weight. For the first time, Azula knew doubt.

"Well that sucked. Way to go, fearless leader, you really came through this time."

"Toph, please."

"No, don't tell me to shut up, Katara. Why is it I'm doing all the work while you're either crazy or splashing each other with water.."

"Toph, you know it's not her fault," sotto voce, her voice seemed like a distant whisper, everything seemed so much less real all of a sudden. "She just needs some time."

"That's a nice way to say we've got to forget about it? He's in there, somewhere, and we're just letting him run off?"

"Why don't you follow him?" Azula's voice was hoarser than she thought. Hoarser than she remembered it ever being. "You clearly prefer his direction over mine. So go. See if I care. All of you! Go!"

"Azula, you don't mean that." Yue hovered protectively besides her, her voice perfectly serene, her poise divine. Azula tried her best to raise her voice in anger, to shout or scream or protest. She wanted to strike down the goddess besides her in outrage to the spirits that were mocking her at this moment.

But she was right. She didn't mean any of it. What would it even accomplish? The knot in her stomach just tightened with every word. "Says who? I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Shut up, Sokka."

"Azula, stop it!" Sokka's voice came forcefully, knocking her off balance, leaving her unprepared for whatever he said next. "This wasn't your fault, but you're letting it happen. You need to stop pushing us away and let us help you for a change."

Azula frowned. "You think I need your help?"

"I don't know if you need it," Sokka said, "But we're not about to just leave you alone. Not like this."

"Not like this?" her voice caught on a hitch. Her mind reeled, never more sure of herself than now. Never the more disturbed than now. "Not like how, Sokka? Tell me that."

"Hurt," Katara answered for her brother. "I know what Zuko did is bothering you, even if you don't want to admit it."

"I don't need him."

"Yeah, you said that a hundred times," Toph snorted, "Doesn't make it anymore true. This is ridiculous. Sokka, just drag her along, we're going to find him and then I'm going to punch him and I will not stop punching him until he stops acting like a spoiled little brat."

"Toph!"

"Hey, he is!"

"We just need to take our time and be thorough," Sokka said, "Yue should be able to pick him up if we get close and then it's just a matter of following her lead."

"Time isn't something we have." Azula looked back at them, their colors faded like aged film, but still, visible and tangible and real. She closed her eyes, she grit her teeth. They thought she was crazy. Not that she blamed them, if she didn't know any better, she'd agree. But she knew she wasn't going crazy, and she'd prove it. "All right. We'll go. We'll find him and we will punish him severely for his behavior."

Katara sighed, "Now I see where Toph's picked it up." After a moment, her somber expression softened, "Still, that sounded a lot more like the old Azula."

* * *

Had it been days, or merely hours? Minutes or seconds? Did it even matter? In the Labyrinth of Lethe, there really was no telling. They'd been locked away like prisoners, and there was no sun in the morning nor moon at night to show them the passage of time.

Actions have repercussions, like ripples in still water. They move slowly, and their effects are rarely noticeable at first. In retrospect, it all seemed so obvious, the words that she said stabbed at him like so many daggers. To say their relationship was tenuous at best was an understatement. No brother and sister were so divided as they.

Zuko Houou was not especially impatient. The problem came with the lack of certainty. The things that she'd said - the things that he'd said - all of it seemed so distant, he didn't remember the movement, or even the impact. Was he even in control when he - no, to deny that he was in control was the worst thing he could do. He'd lost control, and he couldn't bear it. But what good did it do to leave? He shouldn't have even left to begin with.

But to turn back? No. She'd be insufferable about it. And, to make matters worse, the maze closed in around him. To turn around, he'd only get more lost. His gut told him this was the right path to take, and he'd learned to trust his instincts.

He'd been down this road before. Not literally, nothing about the passage looked especially familiar. Same grey stones, but the carvings along it were more intricate and less faded than anything he'd seen before. If he took the time, he might have noticed that they seemed to tell a story. Unfortunately, he was too focused on Ba Sing Se, over a year ago.

He punched the wall with his right hand. His temper kept getting the better of him. When he caused that fire, when he walked out, what did he do but cause everyone more grief? And what did it do in the end but deepen the divide between father and son. "I'm an idiot." He didn't hear anyone raise their voice to disagree. He was alone again.

And maybe that was what he needed, a chance to get his head back in focus.

Now, what was the start of all this? That's right, it was Sokka...

* * *

"You know," he said, "I had the craziest dream."

An inauspicious beginning, a statement that would cause more trouble than anyone would anticipate. They'd been walking deeper into the maze, and the deeper they got the darker the halls became. Everything seemed faded in the light of the red lanterns overhead. Katara responded, deadpan and bored, "You don't say. This isn't about the man-eating moose lion again, is it?"

"No!" Sokka crossed his arms and looked at the others, "I mean when I was unconscious. You guys didn't have one when your other parts went crazy?" He seemed less certain, and Zuko frowned. This was a strange thing to bring up.

"What was your dream about?"

"Well," he tried to put it into words, "It was a dream, so maybe it didn't make much sense, but I remember I was sort of drifting away when I heard someone call out to me. I looked up and I saw this boy."

"A boy?" Azula's voice raised, "He wouldn't happen to have been wearing a mask?" Why would Azula be asking that? Zuko's curiosity piqued, but he remained quiet. After all, she may just be setting Sokka up so she can strike him down momentarily. He waited.

"How did you know? Yeah, he had a sun mask on," he said, "Like they have at those fire festivals. It's been years since I went to one."

"I see." Azula didn't say anything else. There was something really strange about her behavior, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"A boy in a Sun mask?" Katara looked distant, and then, quietly, "You know, that's who it was. I think I remember something like that happening, too. When I rejected my other self, I felt like I was losing myself, but, someone told me to hold on."

"I don't know about masks, but," Toph shrugged, "I know exactly what you mean. Someone familiar told me to be strong. I guess it was a dream, sort of."

"Oh dear," Yue said, "I remember something quite similar, as well. I don't suppose this is a coincidence. But, Azula, why did you know about the boy?"

"Lucky guess," she muttered. "Anything else you wanted to share, Sokka?" She seemed to want to draw this conversation to a close. But Sokka didn't seem to want to.

"Yeah, actually. I don't understand how these other selves seem to get under our skin so well," he said, "I mean, in retrospect, it seems so obvious. I mean, really, we've all been dealing with what happened to Aang in our own way, and not always in the healthiest ways, either."

Katara and Toph both tried their best to look innocent. Zuko smirked.

"But somehow, that other me made me so angry," he said, "Even when I tried to accept it, I couldn't."

"I don't know if it';s possible to just accept everything about ourselves," Katara said, "Don't worry about it, Sokka. Everyone has something they want to hide from themselves."

"I guess. That just leaves two of us," he said, "Zuko and Azula." Azula stood rigidly at the mention of her name, and Zuko just turned his attention to the passageways. It was amazing how crisp and new the stones looked this far in, like it was just constructed. He never really paid attention to it, before, but it was extraordinary.

"I doubt Zuko's other self is going to be as humiliating as yours, Sokka," Toph said with a smirk. "I wish I could have seen it!"

"Oh shut up," Sokka deadpanned. "Besides, I'm sure Zuko's got some embarrassing shadow-self just waiting to reveal itself."

Zuko just grunted in response. He was so transparent in his attempts to get his sea-goat.

"And Azula -" the lethal look in her eyes stopped him dead in his tracks, "-will probably quite normal and unremarkable, I'm certain."

"Nice save," Toph said, loud enough for all to hear. Sokka shuffled nervously. Azula's glare moved from Sokka over towards Toph, but the girl ignored it. "Look, I'm just going to say it, Spice-Girl, you're repressed."

"I disagree."

"You would."

"Guys! Calm down," Katara interjected, "We're all a little on edge, but if we keep going just a little further, I'm sure things will start to look up."

"What makes you think that?" Zuko spoke, his voice hoarse and just a little bit angry, "We don't even know what's causing all of this."

"I think it may be Aang."

If anyone there had any doubts about the power that name held over them, it was wiped away as the squabbling stopped and everyone turned their eyes directly at the person who had spoken. Sokka looked back at them, his expression resolute. "You can't think that," Yue said, quietly. "Please, Sokka."

"Hey, I don't mean it like - okay, let me start at the beginning so everyone's on the same page. That person we keep seeing - that thing that looks like Aang? I'm not so sure that it is Aang. Remember what happened? When he appeared in my world, things started to glitch up around him. I don't know, maybe it's a coincidence, but that wasn't normal."

"It's got to be him," Katara said. "Remember, he helped out Azula back in that desert -"

"Maybe he needs Azula alive!" Sokka retorted, "I don't know. What about how everytime he's shown up before, monsters just appear."

"It has to be him. I know it, he looks like him," Azula said.

"We've been seeing a lot of clones in here, maybe he's Aang's? I'm just saying, I think there's eomething fishy going on here, and he's smelling like he just got out of the fish market."

"Everything you said is just idle speculation," Azula said, dismissively. If that's his other side, where's Aang? The center of the maze?"

"I don't know!"

"You keep saying that!" Azula retorted.

"Azula, stop it." Their eyes met for an intense moment. Azula started to walk around him, her posture tense and her actions just a little erratic. Thoughts flit in and out of Zuko's mind, not one settling for more than a second.

Was she all right?

Was she the same as before?

Had it all been a lie?

Azula always lies.

"Zuzu," she said, "Are you saying you believe Sokka?"

"He's the only one offering any ideas. Why do you want him back after all you've done to him?" Zuko frowned. "I thought you'd be happy he'd be gone. I thought he was the enemy?"

Azula stopped. Her eyes darted to the right, trying grasp something, trying to remember perhaps what she was thinking. "After all I've done to him? I have no idea what you're talking about."

He grunted, angrily, "Typical."

"He's the one whose done us wrong, Zuzu. Remember Father?"

"What happened there was not Aang's fault. You weren't there."

"I was! I was - I was?" she paused. Zuko felt a knot twisting in the pit of his stomach. Something about this didn't seem right. He stepped towards her. "I don't know what you're talking about. He betrayed us, he -"

"Azula," Katara spoke quietly, "What's wrong?"

"What did he do to my father, Zuko?"

"He didn't do anything. Dad was out of control, and Aang did what he had to. He saved everyone. And all you can do is act like he did it out of spite? I don't believe you!"

Azula's eyes were unfocused, full of rage, full of something else, "That's right. You were always jealous of me. Father liked me best, and you? You were just an also-ran. He never needed you. Never wanted you. You were a failure! I was perfect!"

No one saw the hit. Their eyes turned away, but they saw Zuko frozen in the follow-through, his fist tightening. Azula hit the floor hard, and rolled to her side. She didn't say anything, but her eyes were open, aware, and yet, distant. Katara hesitated, then, with a voice still as a storm, spoke. "Zuko, why -"

"I'm tired of this. We're not getting anywhere listening to her. I'll find my own way through this maze. You guys can come with me, or stay with her. I don't care."

"Zuko, wait -" Yue's call fell on deaf ears. Zuko started down the corridor, hand on the wall lightly tracing the bumps and grooves. "Zuko."

"We've got to stop him!" Katara said.

"Let him go." Azula had not moved, and when she spoke, there was an icy edge to it. "He can get lost and die in here for all I care."

"You don't mean that, Azula!" Katara said. "Come on, we'll stop him and calm him down and -" She straightened her uniform, hefted her bag up, and then stopped dead in her tracks as the entire hallway began to rumble. "Oh no, not now!"

The hall Zuko went down turned into a wall, and then, with the sound of granite on granite, the wall became a stairs. "Is anything ever simple?" Sokka muttered, "Come on. We need to find him. Azula, get up!"

She ignored him.

"What's gotten into her?" Toph muttered. "Spice girl, up and at 'em." Katara pushed past Toph and kneeled at Azula's side.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, worriedly.

"No."

Katara sighed, and turned back to Sokka, "We should let Azula recover." In a quieter voie, she whispered, "I think Zuko hurt her pride more than anything."

Sokka frowned, but nodded. "Okay. We'll stay for a little bit. But we need to get moving fast or we'll lose him in this maze."

"Right," Katara said, weakly, "Azula, how's your jaw feeling?"

"Leave me alone."

Katara ignored her. "You're going to get a bruise if you don't let me look at that, you know. And that's going to hurt."

"Leave me alone!" she snapped. She looked Katara straight in the eye, and saw her stare steadily back.

"At least you're moving," she said, calmly. "But really, Azula, don't be so stubborn. I'm going to heal that whether you like it or not."

"I'd like to see you try."

"This is one fight you can't win, Azula," she said, steadily. "Now are you going to let me heal it, or are you going to keep acting like a spoiled brat?"

* * *

Katara won out in the end. Azula felt the light tingle of the water coursing over her skin and the brief discomfort as it worked its healing magic. Her eyes stared out into nothing, contemplating what her brother had said.

She'd pushed him too far this time. She lost self-control, just spiraling into nonsensical rantings. Her mind, usually sharp enough to pick up on these details wondered one thing over and over again. What had she done to Aang?

She remembered the day he came to the dormitory. She greeted him, along with Katara, welcomed him into their home, and watched him expectantly. Zhao was certain he'd shown potential. He was an airbender, possibly the last airbender, according to him anyway. She'd waited on bated breath. It was like the Winter Solstice holidays came early.

When he'd joined, she remembered clearly, he'd become the leader because he was the Avatar. It seemed logical. She built up his trust in her like she'd done so many times. And then - and then nothing.

Things grew fuzzier the more she tried to remember it. A bamboo forest, and a great spirit of some sort seemed to be at the forefront, but then what happened next? No, she couldn't say. She didn't know.

He was - he was dead? No. No, that's not how it happened. That wasn't right!

When had the frustration at these blanks in her memories turned into a sort of comfort. An escape?

Her thoughts were so far gone, she never noticed the stony fist that nearly flattened her into the ground. She didn't even react as Toph screamed at her, her fists collided with the stone, shattering it into millions of pieces. The rubble grazed her cheek, and she brought her finger up to touch it ever so gingerly.

She wondered if that was blood.

Funny. She didn't remember cutting herself there.

In the distance, she could hear shouting. She felt the tug of someone like through anasthetic, the very sensation muted to the point that the only thing she felt was the pressure. What was going on? Everything seemed so distant and wrong.

Panic overtook her, but her body still didn't respond. What was going on? Was this madness? Was she going insane?

"Don't try and remember, Azula, it's not safe!"

That voice! Not again, she remembered this, the sensation of nothingness. Was her resurgence so fleeting that she'd soon forget everything? "Don't worry. I can hear you just fine." The voice giggled, and the childlike face that it belonged to popped into her frame of vision, blindingly vivid against the murky colors. "You were in trouble, and since it's you, I came running."

So many things she wanted to say, but her tongue felt numb and her lips heavy.

"I told you, I can hear you just fine. Don't worry about the hows and whys, it will all make sense very, very soon, I think. Yes, very soon! You're marching so bravely into the maze all the save me!" Xiao walked back and forth in front of the destruction. The stone behemoth slammed into the ground as Toph leapt atop it, and yet, her only focus was on that girl. Even as Toph pounded her fists into its chest with as much force as a jackhammer.

"That's right, only you can free me, Azula. That's why I need you, and you need me. We're inseparable. This maze is a prison, you know. For people like you and me, we get dragged in here. That's why... that's why I want you to be the one to free me, so I can be just like you!"

What was she talking about? Should she feel pity for this girl?

"I don't know. But you're so cool! You beat all those Strangers by yourself. But, I thought you'd want to know. Your brother's life is jeopardy." What was she talking about? He's an idiot, but he can take care of himself. Can't he? "If you hadn't been there those last few times, I don't think the others would have made it, and there would have been four dead bodies found in Ba Sing Se."

What? Azula's mind reeled, trying to find some sort of response. "You want to save him, don't you? He's your brother!"

He hit her. He'd dared touch her and -

"Oh. Does that change anything? I guess you could just leave him, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Who knows what will happen when his Stranger finishes him off. It could be dangerous!". A smaller, white construct was throwing a punch at Sokka, his body rolled with the hit, but he still came flying over, colliding with her.

It should have hurt! What is going on?

He said something to her, but her ears didn't pick up the sound, just a shrill sound, a single note held infinitely. "You haven't got long. Maybe a few hours to find him. It may be impossible, though. I hope you can."

Yes, she hoped so too.

000000000000

Sokka grunted as he hit Azula, coming to a complete stop. The girl grunted in pain, but otherwise remained unresponsive. What a time for Azula to go catatonic. The two monstrosities snuck up on them while Katara healed Azula.

They each reached the ceiling, one marble in construct was a little slimmer than the other one, but both just looked like blocks stacked up on top of one another in the vague shape of people. Masks were placed on their heads to act as faces, but by who or how they didn't know. Toph's fists sailed through the cyllindrical torso of gray stone, leaving a long crack that ran up and down it, leaving it looking a little like a crushed soda can.

The other one, however, went out of its way to be a bigger problem. It kicked up the ground with the marble block that served as its foot, then brought it down, sending stone masonry flying as it did. Sokka brought his hand up to guard his face, and kept his eye on the situation. The general took the field of battle in, and made his decision. "Katara, use a water gun attack. Maybe it's weak to water!"

Few would be surprised that he utterly failed.

"What? Katara stuttered, "What are you talking about. I don't know what a water gun attack even is -"

"Right, right. Whatever, just try and erode it down so Toph can break it easier. Do I have to do everything myself?"

He winced as ice cold water washed over his face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sokka. I'll just work even harder, then. is that better?"

"I hate your magic water." He turned to Yue, "See if you can get her to respond."

"Of course!"

He drew his sword and looked at it resignedly. "Sokka, let's take a look at what we're about to do," he said to himself, "On one hand, my heritage as a warrior of the Water Tribe not-withstanding, I am equipped with only the will and the experience and a sword, on the other hand, they're monsters made out of stone. Why didn't I bring a chisel? I was thinking, you know, maybe you'll need a chisel, but do I bring one? No." He tightened his grip on his sword, "Well this is going to be pointless, but here goes nothing!"

He charged with a battle cry, his sword held high. He charged at the marble giant and brought the sword down.

Clang! And nothing. the sword simply bounced off and the giant didn't even notice him.

"Yeah, I kind of expected that," Sokka moaned as a crashing wave of water descended on top of the giant and, as a result, himself. "Gah! Katara!" Anything else he said was turned into a series of glubbing noises.

Coughing, he raised his head and opened his eyes to glare at Katara, who was stifling a giggle. "Whoops."

"Why is it I always get wet whenever you decide to use your magic water?"

"Not always! Just most of the time," she said, her giggling fit sneaking out,

"Will you two stop it and help me out!" Toph shouted. Katara's expression sobered when she realized the voice had come from above them. She looked up, and saw Toph flailing around, hanging desperately onto the stone giant's arm as it tried to bat her off on one of the lanterns.

"Toph! How did you get up there?"

"Thanks for noticing!" she shouted right back down. "I'll tell you all about how I got up here if you get me down!"

"Right, down," Sokka looked around, "Okay, I'm just going to get down here and I'll catch you. Let me just get into - gah!" The monolithic construct's foot came down where he stood, forcing him to duck back. "Okay, let me just - ah! Not again!"

"This isn't working, Sokka!" Katara pulled him out of the way from the incoming foot. "Hold on, Toph, we'll think of something!"

"If I held on any tighter this guy'd be missing an arm!"

"Azula!"

"Katara, Azula's gone, she's not listening to us and -"

"What is it." Her voice came across hoarse, and she seemed more angry at being disturbed than surprised. Sokka's jaw dropped. "Can't you see I'm trying to think?"

Yue seemed surprised by the sudden outburst, "I've been trying to wake her up, she wasn't responding until just now -"

"You were?" Azula's eyes hardened, "I didn't hear anything."

"Azula, Toph's in trouble," Katara said, patiently. She didn't know where she was finding it, but she'd take all the patience she could get right now. "We need you to help her."

"Hurry!" Toph's shout was followed by a loud, "Oof," as she collided into the ceiling.

Azula stood up and looked at the two creatures, "Where - when did they appear? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Oh, we tried, believe me. Next time, I'll send an old-timey messenger hawk and maybe text you," Sokka muttered, "Okay, you see Toph? Do something!"

Azula smirked, "All you had to do was ask."

"Argh!"

Azula stood up slowly and straightened herself out. She brushed her hair out of her face and began to run Toph shouted at the stone goliath, swinging her feet at its head as it waved its arm around. Its arms flailed, and so did her legs, feet collided with the other arm, sending the pieces flying into the air. Azula weaved around the rubble that came shuddering to the ground with the impact expertly and leapt into the air.

She seemed to slow down at the apex of her jump and waited for the arm to flail towards her. She drew her fist back and moved to strike at a fissure Toph had formed while holding on. The rock around the crack shattered, tearing the forearm apart and leaving it disconnected at its 'wrist.'

"Whoa! What are you doing!" Toph cried as she felt the stone her fingers clawed deep into disintegrate around her. Azula thrust her other arm forward and grabbed her by the back of her uniform, just as gravity began to take its effect. "You're crazy!"

"I keep getting told that," Azula sneered. She turned her attention to the marble construc, eying it, She tried to think of something to say, but she found her mind lethargic, and the lingering sensation of fingertips wrapped around her cortex ached dully.

"Azula, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped, but her conviction was gone. She still felt like she was miles away. "Toph, finish off the first one. Katara, do - do something to the other."

"Okay," Katara said, doubtful. She'd never heard Azula sound so lost before. She reasoned that it was lingering feelings of guilt from the earlier argument and didn't think much of it. She instead focused her waterbending on the marble construct. A great wave washed down atop it. Pushed back by the wave, it crashed against a wall, leaving an impression on the grey masonry.

"Like you couldn't have done that sooner?" Sokka moaned.

"And I guess you'd want to be smooshed between the two?"

"Point taken, complaint rescinded."

"That's what I thought," Katara said. She put a hand up to block a shower of pebbles. "Toph, do you need any help?" She was busy bending the water up into an icy casing to surround the marble giant, but cast a glance over in Toph's direction.

She threw the monstrosity's head up into the air, and brought her bare feet up to kick it with all her force. "I got it," she said. "Come on!" The head soared down the hall and collided with a great deal of force with the marble construct's head. "Yes!"

"Nice one, Toph!" Sokka said. "Did you see that, Azula? Huh? Azula?"

"Yes, very nice," she said. She seemed to be rubbing at her head.

"You okay?" he approached her tentatively.

"I'm fine!" she snapped with a fiery fury. If looks could kill, they'd never find Sokka's body.

"Okay, okay, fine is good. Fine is great, even," he said weakly, "Good to know. Great! Great to know! Everything is wonderful." He put his hands up in surrender and slowly backed away. "Looks like we got it on the ropes. All that we need to do is strike the finishing blow!"

"Wonderful," Azula muttered, her voice distant.

Sokka sneakily approached Yue. He spoke in a close whisper, "Is it just me or is Azula acting weird. I mean, weirder than normal."

"She does seem on edge," she said, "But we've been in here for an indeterminate amount of time. I think we all are feeling the effects of fatigue, and just being in such close proximity with anyone for so long can drive them a little, well." She smiled apologetically, "You do tend to get on the nerves, Sokka, no offense."

"None taken. I mean, I have to live with me, imagine what that must be like."

"How dreadful."

"Exactly."

"Oh dear, here it comes," Yue said, her eyes drawn to the fight. The marble construct carried shattered fragments of ice along with it as it plodded towards them. It swung a lantern into the wall as it drew its fist up to the ceiling.

Toph strengthened her stance, waiting for the large, rocky fist to come down, but her stance shook as the fist collided with the ceiling instead. Rumbling came as the sole warning. The ceiling overhead began to crumble and collapse. "Toph, move!" Katara said, whipping water in a wide stream as she did. The water knocked Toph into the wall. The masonry fell in a large heap around her.

"I was moving!" Toph shouted when she regained her composure, "Oh that's it, that thing's going down!"

"Azula, move!"

Azula brought her eyes up to look at the spirit as it approached. "This is the part where she shows us up, isn't it?" Toph muttered.

"Azula! What are you standing there for!" Katara shouted. She brought more water into another wide arc.

Azula's eyes snapped into focus and she thrust her arm forward. The marble construct's leg collided with her palm strike, and a large crack formed down the line. The giant seemed to reel in pain, and then brought its arm up in a frenzied strike, throwing Azula into the pile of rubble.

"Do something, Katara, I'm kind of stuck over here!" Toph called outl

"The crack! Go for the crack!" Sokka shouted. Another one of Sokka's brilliant ideas? Katara reluctantly aimed the stream of water at the long crack along the creature's side, She put one foot in front of the other and rolled her shoulders with the movement, propelling the water behind the back of her head and then towards the crack.

It filled the holes quite nicely, as water was wont to do, after all. Katara's eyes brightened. Now she saw what Sokka was going at. She took her hands, still loose though steady in the follow-through, and clenched them tightly into claws.

The water responded to the shift, freezing over and expanding. The cracks got deeper and more grievous, the giant backing away from her almost with a little fear, if it could feel anything like that. "That's right, run away or I'll do the rest of you just like that!"

The monolithic marble monster moved in haste, making for the the maze's murky, hidden levels. Katara watched it go, her stance never wavering until she was certain that the thing wouldn't bother them any longer. Sokka was already pulling Toph out of the small space she'd been trapped.

"Well that sucked."

* * *

"Why am I so stupid? I don't even know why I hit her!" he shouted, the only response was his own echo. He scowled. Things were getting worse. "And to think, I wonder why I have like a hundred people running the company for me. It's probably because I'm an idiot!"

Anger wasn't going to solve this. "I should turn around. I really should."

But something compelled him to go further, even just a little bit. He looked down the maze, the direction he'd followed almost instinctually had proven true. He had a pretty good sense of direction. Ba Sing Se was a maze of streets and alleys, and he knew almost every corner of that city by heart.

Better than his own home, actually. Self-imposed exile can be hard sometimes.

Maybe that's why this maze didn't seem to bother him. He was used to exile.

A little ways further, he agreed, and started towards a fork in the road. Left? No, right, it was definitely to the right. Not even wondering what it could even be, whatever compulsion drew his steps down the right passage, a short one that led to a massive antechamber.

Around the circular chamber, there were statues of men in firebending stances, almost performing a dance, and at the center there was a door.

There was no door number, and yet he felt drawn to it.

He brushed at the place where a knob or handle would be, and found nothing. So he pushed. The door creaked open just a fraction, letting in a splinter length strip of light into the room. "I thought you needed a key for this."

He slowly drew his hand back.

Then, around his wrist, something wrapped around him tightly, and pulled.

The door swung closed. Seared into the wood where the label would have been, the number 'IV' was drawn as if burnt by a finger running across it.

* * *

"Well, it's a stairway, it goes up," Sokka said, "We're not exactly going to pick up a track, Azula. What's with you all of a sudden. You went all weird on us for a bit and now you're acting like nothing happened?"

"I have no idea what you mean," she said, dismissively.

"Really, you nearly got flattened more times than usual," Toph said, "What's up with you?"

"I just," she wondered what she should say, and then decided against it, "I suppose I got wrapped up in worry for Zuzu. The poor idiot's probably gotten himself into trouble by now and we'll have to go rescue him."

"Do you think maybe his other side found him?"

What did Xiao call them, a Stranger? "It's very likely. A Stranger wouldn't be out of place in this place, especially with Zuzu's behavior of late. He's been growing more erratic. I'm afraid it may be getting stronger the longer we take, as if it's gestating."

"Gross," Katara wrinkled her nose, "Do you think he'll provoke it?" Azula just stared at her with a blank expression, "Dumb question, sorry."

"Well if he does, he's going to be out like a light and - oh no," Sokka said, "We don't have much time!"

"Finally picked up on that, have you?" Azula asked. She examined her nails, "You know, I don't see why we should hurry. He's becoming a loose cannon, anyway."

"Azula!" Katara sounded scandalized.

"What?"

"I knew you were cold, but that's ridiculous," Toph said. "But, then again, you've pulled some evil stunts in your time."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Azula said, "Or what he was even going on about during his rant. He was probably just hysterical."

"You really don't remember?" Katara asked.

"Well, you see, Azula. Back when Aang was around and we were all one big happy family -"

"-Don't worry about it, Azula! I'm sure you're right."

"What the - what are you talking about, Katara?"

Katara kicked Toph in the shin, "Isn't that right, Toph?"

"Right? What are you - ow!"

"See, she agrees?"

Azula looked at the two of them as if they'd grown a second pair of heads and a set of tails to match. "If you say so. We should pick up the pace. Yue, do you notice any doorways like before?"

"There is one rather close by, actually," Yue said, "We just need to go down this hallway and..."

Toph looked over at Katara before she started to walk, "What was that for, Sweetness?"

"If she doesn't remember, maybe that's for the better. I talked to Zuko about her once, after everything was over. We'd gone to... visit. He told me that the way she reacted was different than he'd ever seen her act before."

"Oh yeah?"

"She really thought she was doing the right thing," Katara said, "But also, I think Aang may have been her first real friend, even if she didn't realize it until after."

Toph sighed. "So we don't tell her she killed him with lightning and shot him? Geez, you're weird, Sweetness."

"Just trust me," Katara said, "At least until we find Zuko, so we can-"

"Are you two coming or not!" Azula shouted.

"Come on, let's go."

"Whatever, Sweetness, whatever."

* * *

A door, numbered 4, is opened with a key, and the five step through the door into the light. Where they find themselves, they're not entirely sure. Adjusting to the brightness takes some time. Everything around them seems sterile. The bright light is offset with red, the walls are black, and the air seems different. Processed and with the smell of air conditioning.

It's almost too cold. Katara shivered from the chill.

"Whoa," Toph said, :"I can't feel anything. It's all metal and weird."

"Indeed."

"This looks like something from one of those old cartoons," Sokka said, "I used to love them. Remember, Katara, we'd go around and play evil space pirates versus the Super Science Ninjas. It was great!"

"Yes, Sokka, I just loved being the evil pirate queen."

"I know the shows you mean," Azula said, something tugging at her memory. "Zuko used to watch them all the time. After the accident, of course. Is this the way he sees his world?"

Outside, space seemed vast and lonely. They drifted along the Stars of Solitude on an asteroid in the middle of a long belt. A distant sun burned a dark red, and the galaxy spread on endlessly. Whoever had built the secret base in the asteroid belt had wanted to be left alone.

The five of them proceeded deeper, towards the inner lair of the asteroid, unaware that someone was watching them.

_To be continued._

_Author's Note: Sweet Earth Jegus, An update! This has to be the longest delay, nearly a month since the last update. A little bit of burn-out, a little bit of inspiration, and a lot of other work piling on top of me has certainly made it hard to find the time. Persona 3 Portable will, hopefully, give me a lot of fodder for writing this story, though! I'm actually quite proud of some of the things I attempted in this chapter, even if not all of them worked out quite as well as I planned. I'm definitely trying to push the envelope and get out of my safety zone in terms of stylistic choices. The fact that half of the chapter was told in flashback should attest to that._

_And that's nothing compared to a chapter coming up (caveat: it may end up being changed since it may be a little too ambitious). I hope to update at least once every two weeks so I can work on a personal writing project, but delays are likely._


	22. The Stars of Solitude

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"When the moon's reaching stars, you won't leave me again. If I could ever tell you that, you wouldn't leave me..."_

_- When the Moon's Reaching Out the Stars - Reincarnation-_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 21: **_The Stars of Solitude_

"This place looks abandoned." Katara pursed her lips as she ran her hand over the black steel frame of the corridor. "Like we're all alone in here."

"That's impossible," Azula said, "Zuko's in here somewhere. I can just feel it." The hard soles of the dress shoes, a part of the Phoenix School uniform, tapped against the floor, sending an echo deeper into the blackness. The red lights cast everyone in monochrome, red and black.

"I wonder where we are," Katara continued, "Where do these cartoon supervillains usually put their secret bases, Sokka?"

"Huh? Well, in the old cartoons, they could be anywhere. The bottom of the ocean to outer space to even just under the city. We could be anywhere!"

Azula agreed with the assessment. The way the corridor was costructed seemed to allow it to be completely closed off from the rest of the building. A breach underwater or in space would definitely be disastrous without such measures. Her brother could be amazingly thorough in his imagination.

"We shouldn't spend our time admiring the archtecture," she said, firmly. "I think we're making Toph jealous."

"Ha ha."

"Regardless," Azula continued, "We don't have long. Considering Zuko's temper and how he was behaving earlier, I would not expect it will take long for that Stranger self to provoke him. If we want to find Zuzu alive, we have to hurry."

"Definitely," Katara agreed. "Looks like this place is pretty simple for a maze. Just walk forward, right?"

"Right," Yue said. "It's just like you said, Katara. This place feels empty. I advise caution. Nothing is ever what it appears to be."

"No need to tell me twice." Azula straightened her hair. She didn't even notice it coming undone earlier. Peculiar. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and slowly crept down the long, empty corridor.

In the distance, static crackled on monitors placed along the top of the walls. It was the only sound besides their own footsteps and it was a relief to finally break the monotony of the sound of their breathing.

"Usually, on the show, the villain's minions would be hard at work constructing an evil army for him to take over the world with," Sokka said. "Explains some of the decorations, actually." Along the ground, abandoned tools and futuristic looking weaponry abounded. They littered the floor with total abandon.

"Maybe Zuzu decided to beat them up," Azula suggested, idly.

"Oh man, he could totally do it with his bare hands," Sokka said, "The villains in these shows were laughable. It was worse when it was all real actors in foam suits, too."

"Sokka, Zuko beat up spirits with his bare hands," Katara reminded him. "I think it'd be a bit unfair."

"Yeah, true," he said, smirking, "Oh, those were the days. Just Zuko and me, beating up spirits in a show of manly manliness. No doubt these tv shows helped."

"Oh, I'm sure you both learned how to defend our world from the evil Spirit World by watching actors in silly multi-colored uniforms fight men in foam suits. Real manly," Katara teaseed.

"Hey! Color coordination is important for manliness."

"Sure it is."

"Here," Yue said, "This door. I sense something on the other end of it. Something powerful." She shivered, "Something evil."

"That's our guy," Toph said. "Best maze ever."

"Don't let your guard down," Azula said. "I know my brother. He's probably repressed all of this since he was seven. This one's going to be much stronger than the rest, mark my words."

"Is that a hint of pride I detect?" Sokka asked, grinning, "Are you actually impressed?"

"Maybe," she said. A smirk played on her lips, and she pressed the doorway. It was some futuristic barrier, hexagonal in shape with lights shaped like arrows adorning the door for no reason that Azula could discern. She tried pressing the arrows, but nothing happened. She scanned it from ceiling to floor and wall to wall, and saw a small console to the right.

The crackling of the static was louder here. A monitor overhead gave a little bit of gray light to break the monotony of the red. "I wish those things would stop," Toph said. "Can't hear myself think."

"No kidding," Sokka said. "What are you playing with over there, Azula?"

"The door's locked. I believe this should unlock it," she said. "It requires a password. I've tried every combination I can think of. Student ID, security clearance code for the Phoenix Group's lab complexes, father's birthday -"

Sokka looked at the console. He hemmed and hawwed as he drew his finger over the buttons, looing at them with a critical, studious eye. Then, he closed his eyes, and sighed. "I'm baffled."

"Then why are you even trying."

"Try his favorite pet's name!"

"Zuzu was allergic to most household pets."

"Oh," Toph shrugged, "Aren't you rich, though? You should have cloned a sky bison. Those things sounded awesome!"

"Maybe it's Ozai?" Katara suggested. Azula pressed a few buttons and got a red light for her troubles. "Or... what was your mother's name?"

Azula froze. "My mother's name?"

"Yeah. He was really close with his mom, I heard."

Azula frowned. "It's worth a try," she said. She slowly drew her fingers over the characters. That should have been the first thing she tried. Now she didn't know how to feel, embarrassed or angry. After a few seconds, the light went from red to yellow to green, and the door slid open.

The static was cut off by a loud, unintelligible shriek, and the monitor flipped from static to an inhuman visage. The image was distorted and deformed, looking less like a face than a series of features constantly shifting in color and form.

The shriek hurt their ears, dragging like nails across a blackboard.

And then just as suddenly as it came, it was gone. The static had disappeared, and a black monitor stared back blankly. "What was _that_?" Toph asked.

"I don't know," Katara said, her voice trembling just slightly. "Do you think that's... it? Zuko's other side... his Stranger?"

"It could be." Azula frowned. "There's only one way to find out. Yue, is that presence still there?"

"Yes," she said, "It is definitely waiting for us. I don't see any other way to proceed but through this door."

"Well, let's not keep him waiting too long. I'm looking forward to meeting my brother's Stranger." Azula straightened. Perfect posture, perfect composure. Every detail, perfect, just the way she liked it. It was time to proceed.

"Okay, let's get going," Sokka agreed. He drew his sword, keeping it in front of him. "And be careful. He may already be in super deformed monster mode!"

"If he was, we'd be too late," Azula snapped.

"Right. Let's keep positive. I'm sure Zuko's all right," Katara said. With that thought in mind, they stepped through the gateway.

0000000

The way the room was structured, it was hard to believe anyone could navigate it. It was carved into a cavern, with the black steel giving way to deep brown earth and dirt. The moment Toph's hands felt the familiar course rocks, her cloudy eyes lit up. They were standing on a platform made of the mysterious alloy, which rounded the cavern almost completely.

Overhead, more platforms were and doorways were carved into the cavern. It was large enough a cave that they seemed to interweave like visual illusions. But most peculiar was the positioning of the doors in regards to the platforms.

"You'd fall if you came in that way," Sokka said. And that seemed to be the case. It was especially clear of a platform that rounded the cave above them. The door was below the platform! There were several others just like it. Some of the platforms were even sideways.

But there was something else. "Behind these walls, I feel something. Kind of like metal underneath."

"What?" Azula looked at the wall, a long expanse of stone from the cave, "Why would someone make a facade here?"

The lights in the room dimmed as soon as she asked that, and there was a sound of machinery coming to life. "Ack! What did you do!" Toph asked.

"Don't blame me. It was probably your earthbending," Azula snapped back.

"I can't do this with earthbending, Spice Girl."

"Well, how do you expect me ... to..." her voice trailed off as the wall moved, split into two. The metal frame underneath was connected to a series of machines that revealed a large window. "We're in space." She stated it as monotonously as she could, but even that couldn't disguise the wonder she felt.

The asteroid field seemed to go on long into eternity, stretching deep into a orange and violet nebula, where thousands of small glimmering points of light danced in and out of their sight. A comet streaked through the sky, wrapping around a distant planetoid and continuing into the nearby warmth of the red star.

"It's beautiful," Katara breathed.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Yue seemed less impressed, but it was more out of familiarity. "The sky looks so much different when you're amongst it."

"Tell me about it."

"What's so special about space. It's a whole lot of nothing."

"Well, Toph," Katara said, "How to put this. It's like the ground. I bet you can feel pretty deep down, right?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Well, imagine you were feeling that up close instead of from far away."

"Oh. So it's dirt and mud, only spacey. Cool."

Azula rolled her eyes.

"Hey, what's that?" Sokka asked. He pointed at a point of light that had appeared suddenly. By the time the others turned to look, what it was became abundantly clear. It seared across the sky, a beam of light, and collided with the structure of the base. A loud klaxon sounded and the source of the beam appeared. A large flagship, surrounded by a small fleet of warships, appeared in the sky. Their metal frames were painted red by the red starlight.

"We're under attack! Why are we under attack?"

"Why are you asking me, Sokka?" Toph asked, annoyed, "Let me take a look. Oh, yeah, they're totally ticked at you."

"Why? Wait - stop doing that!" He grumbled, and then was shocked by into, well, shock by another rumbling from the barrage of laser fire. "We need to retaliate. There's got to be a retaliate button around here somewhere."

"It's their daily show of force. They'll be destroyed momentarily. If the asteroid field does not finish them... Hah! I will!"

The voice came from behind them. Nearly directly behind them. Azula slowly turned around, concocting in that short moment a hundred plans for retaliation. None of them involved her falling into a fit of hysterical laughter, but, some things just can't be planned for.

The ridiculous blue uniform. Part spandex, part foam armor shaped almost like a classic Fire Nation army uniform's spaulders, he looked like he'd just stepped off of a sentai set. The mask was the most ridiculous part. A large visor that hid his face was designed to look like the smiling mask of an Oni, pushing the rest of its features to the top of the helmet like small ornamentation.

That wasn't what did it, though, it was the ridiculous pose he'd assumed.

Katara was doing her best not to fall into the same fit. Only Toph seemed to be taking this with any sort of weight. "How did you sneak up on us!"

"That part was easy," the Stranger said, nodding his head in an exaggerated fashion. "Your focus was on my enemy, so I used that as an opportunity. I see you are skilled at Earthbending. It shows in the way you hold yourself. Do not think - hi-yah! - that I am some pushover."

The red lighting faded as the rest of the facility came alight. The cavern was filled to the brim with monitors, most of them around the center, The Stranger leapt up into the air from his martial art pose, and landed on the center platform. "Allow me to demonstrate the power of the Orika-Zartarian Artificial Intelligence Mainframe, our Glorious Leader!"

The monitors came to life with the distorted features, each one a small part in a massive screen that wrapped around the central support. The loud noise it made echoed and mulitplied out of speakers set around the cavern. The entire asteroid seemed to shake. "Watch in wonder at the power of the Kaiser Cannon!"

Azula snorted, "Those poses... I can't stop laughing. Zuzu, stop it!"

"Zuzu? I know not who that is. I am Spirit Blue! Servent of the Glorious OZAI Mainframe!"

"Um, yikes," Sokka said, "Daddy issues."

"You won't find this so amusing when you see for yourself his omnipotent power." He pointed to the window, using his whole body to accentuate the motion, "Behold! My mighty cannon!"

The ray was only a tiny point of light compared to the full on assault from the fleet. Still it cut a line through them slowly. And while it didn't seem to do anything, Spirit Blue did not seem to flinch. In fact, he seemed to be waiting cockily.

"You missed!" Sokka teased.

"Did I?"

A moment later, the fleet exploded. A large, blinding light enveloped them, and when the light faded, all that was left was space rubble. Katara muttered, "He missed, huh?"

"How was I supposed to know his cannon totally rules?"

"Ah, there will be more shortly. They will no doubt use this time to - Kiyah! - attack while the Kaiser Cannon restarts." Martial art strikes interspersed his sentances. "Now, I must be off to illuminate my prisoner on the glories of the Orika-Zartan Galactic Empire. You are welcome to join me if you like."

"Zuko!" Katara said, "He must mean Zuko!"

"Of course he does."

"Oh, you know this one?" Spirit Blue asked. "He will soon understand the truth of this world." A pause, and then an overexaggerated nod, "The Glory of the OZAI Mainframe!"

"Stop right there," Azula said, "We won't let you do anything to that prisoner. That's my job."

"I do not believe you'll be able to stop me," Spirit Blue said. He placed a hand on a nearby console, "Not without gravity at any rate." He pulled a lever.

"Whoa! Whoa hey!" Sokka shouted as his feet started to float just above the ground, "What's going on?"

"He must have been generating gravity somehow," Azula muttered, "Despite this being impossible, I mean."

"Newsflash, Spice Girl, somehow he did the impossible."

"I've long ago disregarded science and reason, I'm simply stating. Anyhow, as long as we remain calm and proceed in an orderly fashion, I'm sure we can manage somehow. Perhaps if I airbend, I can create some manner of momentum and -"

"I would advise you to move quickly, the next wave of attacks should be here shortly. I will leave you to your demise, now. A-ha Haha Ha!"

He vanished in a bolt of blue light, leaving the console completely unguarded. Azula grinned, "That idiot. Acting like a bad serial villain." She floated about aimlessly. The sensation was strange. Unlike airbending, which seemed to allow her to push the air around her to let her control the speed and height of her jumps - an ability that was actually more fun than useful most of the time, but she could understand why _he_ would do so at any opportunity - the feeling of floating was, well it was hard to put into terms.

She was moving entirely on momentum, of which she still hadn't built much up, and if she were to be honest, which she was not entirely inclined to be, the idea of using airbending to move around made her nervous. It wasn't exactly known for its finnesse, and there was no guarantee that she'd be able to judge the exact amount of force it'd take to stop.

But, she wasn't inclined to share that. "I'll be just a minute."

"Whatever. I'll just float here and have no idea what's going on."

"Me too," Sokka agreed, "Only not in the same way."

Azula scowled. She really didn't need the encouragement from the peanut gallery. She concentrated on bending. Moving without her feet probably wasn't quite safe, but she wasn't about to get anything consequential out of them except maybe some impotent flailing.

She hated flailing.

Despite that, she seemed to move with enough grace, following a slow kata with her arms until releasing a light and careful gust. She began to float towards the console, slowly. "Hurry, Azula, we don't have long."

"This takes time, Katara," she retorted.

"Well, I'm sorry to rush you, then," she said, sweetly, "I'll just tell those mean old ships to not fire on us for a few minutes."

"Already?" Azula nearly lost her cool.

"Yes, already!"

"Hey, why are we worrying. The last bunch just rattled up the place a bit."

"This time that big old cannon is offline, Snoozles."

"Toph's right. The worst case is this place will be blown open, and we'll be dragged out into space. This place may have gravity generators and science ninjas or whatever it is they're called, but space still seems to be as deadly as ever." Azula frowned, "And even if they didn't, we'd be thrown in every direction. We'd be separated."

"Oh," Sokka looked a bit embarrassed. "Sorry."

Azula punched another gust outwards, a bit stronger this time. "This may take some time. Try and hold on to something."

Another gust, much stronger than the first two, threw her calculations off. She was hurtling towards the console too fast. She needed to provide an equal and opposite force. Spinning her body mid-air, she thrust her hands forward. She couldn't overdo it, though, she just needed to slow down a little.

"Azula! Hurry!" Katara shouted, "They're firing!"

She could almost reach out and grab it. She needed to slow down just a little more, then she could reach it and try and figure out which button would restore some sense of normalcy. She didn't like how Zuko's Stranger had turned her world, well, up-side down.

"Just hold on," Azula said, "I'm nearly there."

"Oh dear, she's not going to make it," Yue whimpered. It only served to hurt Azula's pride. She would make it. Just a little further. No doubt the button would present itself if she just looked over the console.

She couldn't for the life of her read what was written on the keys.

"Here it comes! Brace yourselves!" Katara shouted.

The barrage hit. Rubble dislodged from the asteroid's walls, and the Bending Club was tossed about wildly through the maze of asteroid rock and twisting pathways.

* * *

"Ouch."

"I'll say! That was really cool, how you used Airbending to move around, but I think you overdid it. I'm really getting worried about you, Azula. Things are getting worse in the labyrinth, too."

"Oh, it's you."

The suite looked about the same as ever. Velvet drapes still hung over a window in the farside of the room, behind the boy in the sun mask. He looked like he'd been playing a game with the cards, possibly to alleviate boredom. He really didn't seem the type to like being locked inside a weird purple room.

Nor was she, in fact, "Take me back. I don't have time."

"You'll be back when you wake up. Unfortunately, I can't hurry that up. For the time being, let's sit and talk." He indicated the seat she'd woken up in. She looked at it distastefully. "See? You're already seated, so why not?"

"What do you have in mind, Lee?"

"Umm, that's a bit of a tricky question," he said, "Are you sure you don't know me?"

"I am. However, I want to know what you're doing visiting my teammates when their Strangers attack them."

"Strangers? Weird name, but it fits!" he said, "And there's no ulterior motives. They needed some support on the inside as well, and all of them are tied to this room, just... you more than anyone else. I don't know how else to explain it."

"This is all a bad dream."

"Well, yes," he said, "This is all in your dreams, but it's also not. It's really strange. Avatars past share one spirit, so they were able to meet each other through meditation. The hows and whys of this place are a bit different, but the results are the same."

"What are you talking about?" she muttered. He was gabbing a mile-a-minute and she barely understood what he was even saying. Finding out what he meant was another story entirely.

"Oh, um, well, basically, all of you are tied together by the red string of fate," he said, "These bonds of friendship are so strong, not even the most powerful spirit to ever live could break them. Unfortunately, they've lost some of their luster." He seemed sad.

"Well, unfortunately, I don't consider them friends. And they definitely don't see me as a friend. At best, I'm an asset."

"That's not true. and you know it."

She looked at him, clearly unimpressed. "Anyhow. What does it matter? I just don't want Zuzu's silly little other side defeat me. I'm simply superior in every way."

He shook his head sadly, "Oh, Azula."

"Besides. I owe him retribution for what he did to me."

"I'm sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean to do it. He's under a lot of stress. A lot a lot."

"Oh, and how would you know?"

"I know Zuko," he said, "He's always been single-minded. It's admirable when he's got a clear goal, but when he doesn't, he's kind of lost."

"I suppose that's true. Good instinct, Lee. However, I can't help but feel you're cheating somehow."

Lee laughed. "I guess it comes across like that! But really, that's only what I picked up, no special magic cheating this time."

"Oh? This time? Did you use them some other time?"

"Ah - well, that's kind of a secret."

Azula smirked. "Oh, I see. Is that how you wish to play this."

Lee laughed. "I suppose it is! This is fun!" he seemed to relax visibly in his seat for the first time since she'd entered the room. And, for some reason she couldn't quite place - did she want to? - it all felt natural. "But, Azula, I should warn you. This may be the last door inside the maze, but it's also the most dangerous."

"I am not surprised. Zuzu's a bit repressed."

"Not because of that! Do you remember Sokka's maze? Something entered it after you did, and changed it. This time, it arrived before you. You've probably noticed that things are off." Azula frowned. It would certainly explain the atmosphere of the place. "Please be careful. Your friends are counting on you to lead them through this ordeal."

She frowned, "I told you that they're not my friends."

"And I told you that you don't believe that," he responded, blithely.

She couldn't argue with him there. Not because he was right, not at all, but because she knew he would put his fingers in his ears and ignore all her protests. Childlike behavior, maybe, but Lee seemed far from normal.

"Anyway," Lee said, "Whatever this thing is, be careful. I'm worried about what you'll find, but this maze should take you right to the center of the labyrinth. You've nearly made it, Azula, so keep it up and keep positive, okay?"

Azula frowned. "What's in the center?"

"I don't know. Whenever I try and find out, something pushes me out. Be careful when you get there. I'll try and help if I can, however I can. I'm a little scared, but if I don't try I won't know what I can do." He looked a bit sad, "It's unfortunate we can't talk when you're not asleep, Azula. I really missed you, you know... Oh! Looks like you're waking up."

"Excellent," Azula answered. "I don't have time to waste."

"No. I'm worried about Zuko. Save him, Azula!"

* * *

Whenever Yue was alone, she tried to piece together the events that began everything. Her memories felt like shattered glass, and maybe that was the way for everyone. This place seemed to almost feed off of their memories just as much as trapping them there.

Azula was asleep, and the others, she couldn't be quite sure, but she assumed they'd been blown all about the secret base. Gravity was still an issue, but to her, it wasn't so bad to navigate. The moon moved with purpose through the sky, this was no different.

"Azula?" she regularly called out, to see if the other girl was awake. She'd been knocked out by a piece of debris before Yue could reach her, and she hadn't woken up since. She wished Katara were there, someone to help make sure nothing serious had happened. "Please wake up soon."

She returned to her thoughts. The pieces of glass were like a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces missing. The Spirit World, the Garden, both of those were clear, but it was the space between. She just remembered being called by a distant and familiar voice. It was all in all quite a bother.

She tried to locate her friends again. It took a lot of concentration to find her way around the maze, and it wasn't quite as powerful as it was back in the Spirit World. The base seemed to wrap around itself like a coil, platforms going backwards and upside-down. She could sense someone just out of the range of her senses, like a shadow out of the corner of her eye.

And she felt, close to her, Azula. This was becoming something of an enigma. She'd been given the power of the Avatar mysteriously enough, but that wasn't the only thing different about her. Whatever it was, she'd barely noticed it when they first met in the garden, but as time passed, it became more and more noticeable.

Like, she didn't know how to put it, precisely. It was almost like she'd always been looking at Azula, but until now she couldn't see that behind her there stood something else - someone else. But that was a very bad analogy. Azula hadn't moved to reveal this other presence, rather, it was more as if she'd changed in her mentality.

Perplexing.

Still, in this world formed from the mind of one of her friends, these things were also just a little ominous. "Azula?"

She expected no response, and instead, got an annoyed grunt.

"Azula! You're awake!"

"Head hurts," she said, "Keep your voice down." She always said things like that with an edge to it, an unspoken threat. Yue, for her part, learned to ignore it.

"Sorry. You did hit your head hard."

"Where are the others?" She opened her eye trepidatiously, as if expecting the stimuli to send her headache roaring into full bore.

"I've been searching for them, but they're too far away to get an accurate read." She sighed, "I'll keep looking though." She smiled, "While you were asleep, I managed to solve the mystery of this door." She pointed to a door that was upside-down with the pathway leading to it seeming more like a ceiling to Azula's perspective. Yue was upside-down as well. Fantastic, Azula thought, just fantastic.

"Have there been any other attacks?"

"The last one stopped a little while ago. I think they must have gotten destroyed in the asteroid field. Poor things."

"They were trying to blast us. And I don't think they're on our side anymore than my brother's Stranger." Azula tried to spin herself around. How Yue moved so effortlessly in zero gravity was astounding. "Something's wrong about this place. It's like Sokka's world, only worse."

"Oh," Yue frowned, "I suppose that's possible."

"You can't sense it?" Azula asked. "This place is nearly abandoned. Something happened here."

"You're right, but it's hard to be certain."

"I'm never wrong. How hard was that?" she'd be on the same perspective as Yue soon, just a little - no, too much momentum.

"Do you need any help?"

"I've got it." She reached out for the rail of the platform. "We need to find a way to restore gravity to this complex."

"Yes, I agree." She looked a little nervous, "Unfortunately, the debris that knocked you out was only a small part of the damage. Most of it fell on the console."

"That figures," Azula said, dryly. "We'll have to find another terminal in the facility. You said you've worked out this door?"

"Azula, if you need any help-"

"I asked a question."

"Yes, I have! The password was Emperor."

"Good."

"Wasn't that clever of me?"

"Yes, yes," Azula said, She felt her feet brush against the floor. "There. All better." She felt sorry for the others. If she had this much difficulty getting oriented, the others would no doubt still be floating around aimlessly.

* * *

"Ha ha! They don't even slow down! This is awesome!" Toph cackled. The creatures, whatever they were, collided with the asteroid's rocky surface with enough force to send rubble flying into the gravity-less space. Toph's feet were cemented to the side wall. It seemed to be an elegant solution.

"Be careful, you nearly took me with them!" Katara shouted right back.

"Oh you're fine, Sweetness."

Katara and Sokka held onto the railing and watched the creature drag itself out of its crater, its silver carapace gleaming red from the emergency lights. It stretched out its six legs and raised its horn up threateningly, exposing the steel mask on its face. "This is ridiculous. What are these things made out of?"

"Oh relax, Snoozles. I got it." She punched the wall with enough force to dislodge a chunk of stone. "Hey! Beetlebreath, eat this!" She raised it up into the air like a volleyball serve and spiked it down The miniature asteroid sailed past Sokka's head and right into the beetle creature. Its mask shattered as the rest of its body returned to steel plating.

"Okay, I get you can't see us with this floating around, but can't you at least try and give us some warning so we can, y'know, move?"

"Got to keep you on your toes." She started stomping her feet along the side of the wall, "Come on! Let's move it!"

"Right," Sokka said, "You just nearly miss my head and I'm the one who needs to stay on his toes. That's some really creative logic, Toph."

"Thank you!"

"That wasn't a compliment." He sighed, "We need to find a terminal and get this gravity back on so we can find Azula and Yue."

"And what about the stupid other Zuko?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. What do you think, Katara?"

"I'm just worried about Zuko. He's been through a lot worse than we've ever been through," Katara said.

"He's tough," Toph said, "He'll manage."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm a bit worried about what we'll find in his doorways," she continued, "We might see Mom."

Sokka frowned, and shook his head, "It'll be okay, Katara. For all we know, there's only one door and we'll never even see it."

"Oh yeah?" Katara said, wryly, "Then what do you call that?"

Sokka sighed, hanging his head, "Note to self, optimism never works."

The doorway hung sideways along the platform, at just the right angle for them to climb in. "Come on, Toph, we need to find out what's behind that doorway. It might even lead us to Zuko!"

"Coming." She wrested her feet out of the ground and then kicked off the side to launch herself at the platform. With surprising grace and speed, she managed to scramble to the railing and in between Sokka and Katara. "Hi."

"You're scary good at that."

"What can I say, it's a gift. I adapt to things easily because I am awesome."

"Then how come I can't get used to this gravity swimming thing?"

"Because you're not awesome?"

"Butt out, Katara."

"She just said what I was thinking," Toph grinned.

"Fine then! Let's just focus on the spooky time-traveling door in front of us. Do we go in?"

"We don't have a choice," Katara said, "Unless you like fumbling around in zero-gravity like a moron."

"Are you calling me a moron?"

"No, moron, but you sure did." Toph grinned. "Anyway, Snoozles is right, we've got a door to open."

"Yeah, right." Katara dragged herself along the railing over to the door and slowly turned the handle. "Here goes nothing." She slowly pushed the door open, but it was like blowing a hole into the side of the base. It sucked everything inwards, like a vacuum trying to fill itself.

"What did you do!" Toph screamed as the force pulled them in.

She received no answer as Katara hurtled into the doorway. Toph could feel her fingers slip. "If I die, I'm coming back to haunt Katara's ghost!"

"Duely noted."

"Can't hold on!"

"Me neither."

"Sokka, I just wanted to tell you," Toph said, her voice quiet and tender, "Just wanted to tell you that... it was me. I was the one who stole your lunchboxes."

"I know, Toph, I know."

She was barely holding on, and the force wasn't letting up. She could feel her grip give, and she was thrown violently through the door. She didn't know if Sokka had followed her or not, because as soon as she was through the door, she landed, rather abruptly, on the streets of Ba Sing Se.

"Ow." Toph rubbed her back. "Why is it so hot?"

"Toph! What took you?" Katara asked. "Where's Sokka?"

"Probably about to be dragged in. I thought you were dead."

Katara sighed. "Get up, Toph, we need to find Zuko."

"Where and when are we?"

Katara frowned. She could see the flames rising high, smoke billowing into the night sky. "I'm not sure, but I think this was that fire in Ba Sing Se's lower ring."

"The one with a flimsy official explanation?" Toph asked. "That explains why it's so hot."

"And if I heard right," Katara said, "It's the night Zuko quit the Bending Club."

Sokka landed face first on the ground in front of them. "I hate Zuko's maze so much."

_To be continued._


	23. Scions

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Forget it, I'm the next masterpiece made, the new generation comes up with the beast 'Ace.'"_

_- Mass Destruction FES_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 22: **_Scions_

The street was on fire. Flames crackled unrestrained, devouring the buildings, leaving them little more than skeletal husks. Flashback, the night they faced Agni played in their head, the intensity of the heat was playing like a faint memory in the back of their heads.

This was the night Zuko left the Bending Club.

Out of time and pulled from memory, it was like a dreamscape playing out in front of them. The heat distorted the world around them, making it seem like the everything was a mirage on the night sky. A lonesome ember broke free as a beam of wood cracked under the heat. It rolled across the ground, exposing a deep fracture on the surface.

"We're too late," Sokka said, "This place is already broken up. Something's gotten here before us." He drew his sword up. "I got a bad feeling about this."

"Me too," Katara agreed. "A really bad feeling."

_Why am I even fighting anymore?_

The thought seemed to rattle about through the fragments, causing them to quiver and shake. Almost like steam against a cold window pane, the thoughts condensed on the shattered pieces of time. Like dark smoke, it started to rise up and take form, clawing its way up from the chasm into the void. Fire and soot radiated off of the steel masked figure.

It let out a cry that resonated from inside their heads.

* * *

Without gravity, the situation for Azula was more frustrating than dangerous. It seemed odd. Once in a brief while, a fragment of a spirit would float by. It looked like its master, a soldier in a faceless army. Unlike some of the other creatures, it didn't wear one of those strange masks. Azula filed that away for future observation. The difference right now between the spirit alive or dead was that it only vaguely creeped out Yue.

"You were right, something terrible happened here," she said, her voice quivering in fright. It was typically feminine of Yue to do, Azula thought distastefully. Though the girl was finally showing some backbone. It did not do to have a complete and total doormat as their support.

"Of course I was right," Azula retorted. Not that it needed saying.

"I'm curious. How do you know so much about this place, Azula?" She sounded suspicious. She expected Sokka or Zuko to catch on that she knew more than she let on sometimes, but there was really not much to explain. She'd sound crazy if she tried. Xiao and Lee, two figments of her imagination, it sounded absolutely mad. But the fact that they knew, that they told her things that not only proved accurate but also useful, it made her question if they were in fact just things her addled mind had created.

It made her question if she was even mad in the first place. Recent episodes not withstanding, she couldn't quite remember why she had felt so paranoid, so absolutely disturbed in the first place. "Observation," she muttered.

"I don't know if I can believe that, Azula." Of all the times for Yue to act with conviction, she had to pick then and there, and on that subject. "Azula, if there are things you're not telling us, they may be important. Like, you knew about the boy we saw when our other sides, our - Strangers, you called them? - when they went out of control."

If she could focus on moving along the corridor without just floating away, she'd have probably been able to think of some sort of lie to dissuade Yue from more prying. Instead, she let loose her frustration, "Yue, do I insist to know every detail of what it means to be the Moon? Do I pry into every little facet of your psyche trying to locate little ticks that make it work, or do I simply accept that you know."

"Well, I mean, you could," she said, "But you never asked."

"Just believe me that I know what I know because I need to know it," she said, "I chose this fate of my own free will."

Yue paused. "That is a rather strange wording," she began, hesitantly. "I remember someone telling me that once, too. It was right before..."

"Right before what?"

Yue was about to say, when something burst. A low whine of oxygen releasing from a valve filled the room, and the crashing of gates echoed down the corridor. "Something happened! I can sense a strong presence has entered the base."

"What?" Azula asked, "Is it a spirit?"

"Part of one," she said, confused. "It's like the strange spirits in the maze. They're not quite right, almost like they're incomplete."

"Incomplete how?"

"Um," she looked hesitant to say further, looking quite perplexed. "Incomplete, as in they're just parts of something bigger? I'm not sure how else to explain it, I'm sorry. EIther way, it's immensely powerful. I think it best if we avoid direct confrontations."

Azula wanted to protest, but she was having enough trouble just moving forward. "All right." She had hoped these halls would provide more answers, but they just seemed long and terribly boring. Staging grounds for some sort of conflict littered with machine parts and rubble from a variety of strange toys. However, none of them seemed to have what she was looing for.

"This place is certainly a maze," Azula muttered. "I think we may be in the wrong part of the ship to find a console."

"It certainly is massive. Your brother's subconscious is so, so," Yue searched for a word, "So innocent!"

"Innocent, hardly. Zuko's as tainted as me," she scoffed.

"No, it is! Of all the things he's been through, he subconsciously created a world made from the workings of his favorite shows growing up. He seems so intimidating, but inside, he has a good heart."

"Well, we can't all be diamonds in the rough."

"Azula," she said, hesitantly, "I know what you're trying to do, but, you don't need to push us away."

"I'm not."

"You are!"

"I'm not, Yue," she said, with a final edge to her voice, "Anyway. Let's go around and find another passage. There's got to be some sort of mainframe we can get into."

"Wait, i sense a powerful spirit heading right for us!" Yue said. "We've got to hide!"

The only place nearby was one of the old staging rooms. Azula kicked off the wall and over the door, opening it as quickly as the device would go. "In here," Azula said, motioning for Yue to follow as she pushed herself into the room with the frame. "Close it."

Yue turned and closed it as she entered. The low emergency red light making it even more difficult to see. They hid by the door, waiting for whatever the powerful presence was to pass. Azula could make out a sound from behind the door. Pistons pumping, and mechanical pieces clanking in time to footsteps. She peered through the window on the door.

Shadowed by the red light, it seemed like a figure of a man, but it was too rigid, and too much of it seemed to be segmented along joints, almost like one of the toys in Toph's maze. A mechanical man? This was the powerful spirit?

It turned to look through the window, causing Azula to dart back into hiding. Its face glowed from a pale blue light where its eyes should be. Its face hidden behind an ornate steel mask. The number four etched on its forehead.

* * *

The fiery spirit that erupted from the fragments of Ba Sing se raised one of its long, muscular arms up into the air and released a wave of heat around the three of them. It forced them back, and they turned their faces away.

"What are these things?" Toph asked. "They're way stronger than any spirit I've ever faced."

And they'd faced some strong spirits before. Maybe it was a stretch to say any, but, it certainly seemed different. Sokka'd started to notice these ones always appeared when they ran into that boy. The others were convinced it was Aang, but he wasn't.

Sword well in hand, he was ready to charge down the fiery monstrosity. "Wish I knew. Anyway, it doesn't look like it's going to talk it out with us, so maybe we should, y'know, bending and stuff."

"No need to tell me twice!" Toph leapt into action with a holler, fracturing the ground beneath her foot and then, shifting her weight forward, she forced the fragmented ground to jut up, solid stone reflecting like black crystals from the fogged glassy remnants. They rose up around the fiery creature, causing it to flail through the stony prison. Its black flames licked hungrily against the stones.

Toph traced a line in the ground with her toe and then raised her hands. "Wait til this matchstick gets a load of this."

The ground underfoot creaked noisily as it rose up, and then lurched with Toph as she shifted her wait again, and brought her fists forward in a slow palm large sheet of earth shot forth, raising up even more of the earth as it moved from fragment to fragment until it collided into the spirit like a bulldozer.

The scion roared, its scream penetrating their minds and causing the land around them to fragment even further. Whatever this thing was, it was inherently part of this fragmented doorway. Sokka grimaced. The scream left him disoriented, and he couldn't quite see it coming, but he felt the wave of heat and heard the stone cracking.

The sizzle of water extinguishing flame resounded by his ear, and he opened his eyes to a massive wave that crashed above the shattered street, It rushed about the landscape, seeping between the cracks, and tilting along the raised and angled surfaces, and coming down on the spirit. "Way to go, Sweetness!" Toph said. "Did you get 'im?"

"I don't know. I don't think that's all it's going to take." Katara stared hesitantly at the raising plume of black smoke. Could that really have been it? She remembered the last few of these creatures they'd faced. Even the more ridiculous forms they took - a rubber turtle ducky for example - nearly left them short one of their own.

It seemed like the only thing that moved was the licks of flames that covered the old street of Ba Sing Se like a kaleidoscopic lens when viewed through the fragmentations and cracks that ran along the past.

The smoke seemed to hover above their heads like an ominous cloud and for a moment, things seemed to finally calm. "I don't feel it," Toph said, "I think you got it good, Sweetness."

"I don't know. I got a bad feeling about this."

"You've got a bad feeling about everything, Snoozles."

"Okay, maybe I do, but this time for real. Something doesn't feel right about this. It's all too easy."

"It was on fire wasn't it? Water beats fire, that's it."

"I agree with Sokka, Toph. This is just too easy. Maybe we should hurry up and get out of here before something else comes or -" She stopped. The smog seemed to be getting thicker now, and though it might have been a trick of her eye, she was certain an appendage emerged and reached for the ground. "Do you guys see that?"

"No."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Way to be like Sokka, Sweetness."

"Hey!"

"Anyway, Sokka, do _you_ see that?" she asked. "Or is the heat starting to get to me?"

"See what?" She could swear it was reaching to the ground as if it were looking for something. It was grasping, groping about as if there was something left behind by that creature. "Katara, are you feeling well? The heat must be getting to you, yeah, it's probably the heat."

It was lifting something off the ground. That steel mask, the number four barely visible beneath the soot and grime on its surface, was lifted from among the shattered rubble. The smog seemed to place it on its surface. How it held onto it, how it wore it, all mysteries to Katara, but now she was sure she wasn't hallucinating. "Now do you see?" she said.

"What the - great, now it's a smog monster!"

"What do you mean smog monster?"

The creature moved through the fiery night sky, and descended upon them. It began to quickly become harder and harder to breathe.

* * *

"Did it see us?"

Azula seemed so calm and unaffected. Yue wished she could be like the younger girl, briefly. Yue could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing grew faster. That creature radiated massive power, even if it was only a fragment of it.

"I don't think so," Azula responded. "It's moving on. Those masks are puzzling. Do you think they hold some significance? It's the same as the number on the door." She frowned. "Peculiar. I don't suppose your sensory abilities would confirm a connection."

"I don't really think my senses are that good, sorry," Yue said with a small smile. "I think that would be too easy and make Sokka complain."

"Indeed it would."

Yue put her hand on her chest, hoping that somehow it would slow her heartbeat. "I thought it had seen us, Azula."

"So did I." She seemed nonplussed.

"You seem so calm. Aren't you afraid?"

"Hm? Why should I be?" Azula's eyes darted around the staging room. The pieces of machinery hung up around the room seemed familiar. "Interesting. Yue, I'll be a minute. Let me know if our friend decides to turn around."

"Y, yes, of course."

Azula pushed herself over to the ladder rails and dragged herself downwards. She propelled herself off of the rungs and looked around the staging ground. The devastation looked surprisingly minimal. Most of the damage must have been personnel. Probably for the best that this doorway had been breached, she reasoned. She didn't particularly feel like dealing with whatever spirits had been called by her brother's subconscious.

That was how it worked, right? The subconscious drew them, and they took form. That - that sounded familiar. A distant memory stirred. A spirit was drawn to her once. She could barely recall, barely even recognize herself.

Distractions! She needed to focus. Though she'd only gotten a glimpse of the figure, she was certain that the pieces were the same. Bigger, of course, but still, the same basic design. Had something taken them and repurposed them, perhaps? That seemed to fit. She grinned. Of course, she would figure this out before Sokka would.

She would remember to gloat later. There were other, important things at hand.

"I think it's gone, Azula," Yue called down. "Should we get moving?"

"I'll be right up." She kicked herself over to the ladder and pushed herself up as fast as she could. A low hissing crackle built up into a loud static-clouded screech. The monitors blinked to life and the distorted features of the OZAI Mainframe appeared on them. "This thing again."

"I wonder what it's saying," Yue said. "I can't quite make out anything but that shrill noise!"

It kept raising in pitch, up and down, but always high. It almost sounded like it was trying to say something. Perhaps she shouldn't have gone down there. "I hope it isn't something about intruders in the staging docks."

"Me too!" Yue agreed. "But, who'd respond. The only thing in here is that thing..."

Not to mention Zuko and his Stranger. "Let's just get out of here quickly."

"_Warning. Station Hull Breach Imminent. Commencing Lockdown of sectors R through U. Please follow the flashing lights to the nearest blast doors in a calm and orderly fashion. Have a nice day."_

"A hull breach? Oh dear, I would not want to be in those sectors," Yue said, worriedly. "It would be simply dreadful." Azula's eyes were too busy scanning the large 'Sector U' written next to the door and taking note of the flashing lights along the walkway. Azula nodded her head towards it, and Yue turned her head. "Oh dear."

"Well let us proceed to the nearest blast doors."

"Oh, yes, in a calm and orderly fashion," Yue agreed, bobbing up and down peacefully. "The lights seem to go this way. How helpful."

"Yes, I suppose," Azula muttered. The hall was deadly quiet, the steel reflecting the red emergency lights in a sinister fashion. Even Yue's snow-white hair seemed blood red underneath that light. It was getting tiresome. "Let me just get a hold of the rail and -"

Yue stifled a giggle as Azula ran her forehead straight into the railing. "That was not funny," Azula reprimanded.

"Of course not. It wasn't funny at all."

"You're laughing at me,' Azula said.

"I'm not! Really!"

Azula gripped the rail, tightly. "You're terrible at lying."

"But I'm not laughing at you, honest!" she swam over like a fish to water, "What I do think is that it's nice to see you make mistakes every now and then. It lets us know that you're human." Azula bristled. "Does your head hurt? This is the second time you've bumped it and here I am not helping."

"It's fine."

"Oh. We shouldn't dilly dally around! It's an emergency situation!"

"I know that," Azula said, "Let's just follow the flashing lights." She started to pull herself in the direction of the lights."Did you think I wanted to watch the hull breach up close?"

"Well, no," Yue said. She didn't want her subject change to fall to pieces. She just wasn't quite as good at this as the others, yet. "Oh, we're close! Blast doors, hull breaches, space adventures have so many fun words, I think, don't you?"

Azula didn't answer, too busy clinging to the sides as she pushed herself along. This lack of gravity was making things far too difficult and she really wished it would resolve itself sooner rather than later. How Yue could be so chipper in situations of absolute peril was absurd. She'd have to investigate when she wasn't floating around endlessly through the expanses of space on an asteroid base created by a sentai hero version of her brother's repressed emotions.

She questioned, not for the first time today, her sanity. That sentence seemed almost banal to her.

"Watch your step, Azula, er," Yue looked bashfully as she realized she mispoke, "I mean, be careful. These blast doors are quite impressive. Does the door take up this entire section?" Azula was too busy fumbling around to push herself through the door to really answer the question.

"I suppose."

"_All hands brace for impact. Collision imminent._"

"Collision imminent?" Azula's eyes narrowed, "Collision with what?" And as if answering her question, a ship hull crashed through the corridor they had been walking in not minutes earlier. Azula quickly reached for a rail and held on tight.

"I really wish you would not ask these questions, Azula!" Yue fumbled to do the same. A loud klaxon sounded and the blast doors began to close. Far too slow for her taste, if Azula were asked, but clearly she wasn't.

The air was being sucked out into space - an inelegant description but to be fair, Azula didn't argue semantics when she was being pulled into space herself. Those blast doors couldn't move any slower if they tried.

"Still holding on?" a voice laughed, echoing down the corridors. "I'm impressed! Hah!" Azula's grip tightened as pieces of debris barreled past her through blast door to the massive gash that ran through the station's hull.

"Yue, remind me when we inevitably have to fight this clown..." she said, trailing off.

"Remind you to what?" Azula couldn't figure why Yue was so focused on the decompression. It was probably the least of their worries at this point.

"To attack relentlessly with extreme prejudice. Show yourself, you coward!"

"I'm afraid the OZAI Mainframe has commanded that I see to our other guest. However, huh! I thought I'd make sure you two have been kept entertained!"

"Oh yes, very much so," Yue whimpered. Her arms were getting very tired. "If it isn't too much trouble, of course, would it be all right with you if your doors could speed up?"

"Haha! You must be jesting! A fine joke!" He grunted some more like a martial artist, before adding, "I am sure you will be all right. I look forward to defeating you all soundly! For the glory of the OZAI Mainframe!"

After she was certain he had stopped speaking, Azula rolled her eyes, "And people wonder why I find my brother so annoying."

"I just wish this door would close!" Yue screeched.

"Oh, relax, and hold on. It's nearly done."

"That's easy for you to say!" Yue shrieked.

The doors closed with an audible clang, and the releasing of pressure as the locked swung into place. Azula let go, letting herself drift slowly over to the door. She looked at Yue with a wide, unreadable smile. "Why, Yue, that was positively nasty of you. Well," she amended quickly, "By your standards."

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry." Yue released her hold. Her face was flushed red brightly. "I don't know what came over me!"

Azula cocked her brow. "Why are you apologizing. Don't."

"But, Azula!"

Azula shook her head, "I won't hear it. Come along. Perhaps we can find a console in this sector." She floated along the corridor, gazing out the long window. She could make out other asteroids floating along the belt, and additional wreckage from the fleet. It seemed the asteroid field had chewed them up rather handily.

Of all the mysteries in the maze, this one seemed to be the most dangerous. Who were those attackers, exactly, and what about the glitch in Sokka's game-world that nearly deleted everything. Something seemed to be working to stop them every step of the way.

"What do you make of them?" Azula asked suddenly. "Those attackers, I mean."

"I'm really not certain. They seem quite determined to destroy this place."

"They seem to be after us more than they're after him," Azula muttered distastefully. "This is becoming a trend."

"I agree. I don't like it."

"I don't suppose you have any ideas as to their true nature?"

"They're like spirits, only not," she said, "The seem to be a part of the maze and not from the spirit world. Whoever or whatever created them, they must be intensely powerful. These scions of theirs are unlike anything I've ever seen before."

More non-answers, Azula grimaced. It seemed that the darkness at the center of the maze held all of the answers after all. She'd be certain to interrogate Xiao about this the next time that strange girl made an appearance.

"Azula, was that of any help?"

"Of a sorts," Azula answered. She still didn't want to mention Xiao unless strictly necessary. Even if they didn't think she was crazy, the idea of revealing this girl's existence seemed unseemly to her, and she wasn't particularly sure why.

In fact, she wasn't quite certain why she even thought about it in the first place.

"Azula?"

"Sorry?"

"You looked like you wanted to say something," she said, "Then you got very quiet. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Azula."

"What?"

"I'm just worried for you. You do know that I don't blame you," she said, "For trying to kill me, I mean. You were doing what you thought was right, regardless of anything else."

"Kill you?"

Yes she had done that, hadn't she? Why was her memory so vague all of a sudden. Everything outside of the immediate moment always seemed to be a blank until someone filled it in. "You remember, don't you?"

"Yes, I," she paused. "I'm not certain what is wrong with me."

"Azula, perhaps we should take a break. I don't sense that thing anywhere nearby, and you seem a little pale."

"I'm just tired, it will pass. I'm already feeling my second wind coming on," Azula said, dismissively.

"Please, Azula, please let's just take five minutes and rest. We don't know how this maze is affecting us," she pleaded, "Perhaps we're starting to forget the longer we're trapped inside here."

"Why? Are you having difficulties remembering things?"

"No, not particularly," Yue said, "But I'm a spirit. It may affect me differently than it does you or the others." She smiled sadly, "There are some advantages to being different, right?" She put herself into a kneeling position and she seemed to spin upside down. "Anyhow, what's your clearest memory?"

"Clearest memory? Waking up in the hospital, clearly."

"Oh," Yue said, thinking, "How about earlier than that. What's the first thing you remember."

Azula paused. "I was pointing a gun at someone - Aang I think. I pulled the trigger, but I didn't hit him. That doesn't make any sense. He was standing close enough that he'd be burned by the powder."

"I see. I believe you fired to protect him."

"That makes no sense."

"No, it doesn't," Yue said, "But that's the thing about memories, sometimes they don't make sense when we look back at it. I know you did it for the right reasons. You didn't want to hurt him, though, I can't claim to know why. Except."

Azula frowned. "Are you implying something?"

"Only, that I've heard rumors - well, gossip really!"

"Believe me, there's nothing to those rumors," Azula snapped quickly. She fought the blush off from her cheeks tooth and nail. "Anyhow. I don't see what's so important about this."

"I think you're trying to remember what you've forgotten, Azula, but," she seemed to be confused, "I think something or someone doesn't want you to. I don't know why, or who. It's only a guess, and perhaps I'm missing something quite obvious."

Azula frowned. "Not to sound rude, but I didn't ask to be psychoanalyzed."

"I'm not trying to!" Yue protested, furiously, "I'm just trying to help. You're our friend, after all."

"Hardly."

"You are, though. Even Katara seems to think so. And, I know I've probably said this before, but, Aang never stopped believing in you."

"I don't care! I never want to see his face again. If he wanted to see me so bad, why didn't he?" She frowned. As far as she was concerned, he'd have to hide his face if he ever wanted to talk to her again.

"Oh, Azula."

"We should get moving. If we stay in one place too long, we run the risk of being discovered. Where is that thing anyway?"

"I don't know, exactly, but it is quite active," Yue paused, "I suppose we should get going."

"I'm glad you're seeing reason." The corridors along this end seemed to be upside-down compared to the last bunch, on closer inspection. Azula groaned. "I think I've had enough of these gravity tricks this place seems so fond of."

"It's not quite so bad," Yue said, already upside-down. "Here, all you need to do is shift your weight -"

"I have it under control," Azula said, trying to use the railing to turn herself around. It was quite complex, the way she had to move her arms and legs in such a way as to not bump uncomfortably into one another as she went. Yue remained perfectly still and quiet, letting the girl work it out for herself.

When she was finished, Yue asked her, "Why are you so intent on doing everything alone, Azula?"

"What sort of question is that?"

"I'm concerned, that's all. You're not alone, Azula. Let us help you once in a while."

"Hmph."

Yue sighed. Azula just shrugged her off like always. And she was certain she'd been making progress. "I sense a great deal of energy moving through this section of the base. Perhaps we''ll be more likely to find a console here?" A change of subject that came a little too quickly, but the change in Azula's demeanor was immediate.

"Excellent! Let's proceed."

Though the sudden change in her attitude should have heartened Yue as well, there was something else. She could feel that creature moving towards them at a frightening pace. "We must hurry though! I think it's found us."

"Once the gravity is on, that thing will not stand a chance."

"I'm not so certain of that. I'm telling you, Azula, it's a really powerful enemy. I would feel better if you had some support."

"You're my support," Azula said, firmly. "Now, hurry up. We don't have all -" Yue had to wince as Azula's head collided with the ceiling, the loud bump interrupting her, "-day."

Yue couldn't stop herself. She broke out into a giggle fit.

* * *

"I can't see!" Katara choked out. The smog settled over top of them, filling their lungs and covering their eyes with a murky smoke. Sokka was barely wheezing in enough oxygen to keep himself composed, while Toph seemed the least affected.

"Oh, how horrible! I can't imagine what _that's_ like." She still seemed to have enough air to be snippy, and Katara reasoned at any rate Toph was just naturally resilient. Typical. "Anyway, stay close. I think I got a pathway."

"Doesn't this thing," Sokka began, only to be interrupted by a hacking cough, "Doesn't this thing got any weaknesses? Everything's got a weak point, right?"

"Yeah, in video games!" Katara retorted from behind her hand. "This isn't a video game, Sokka!"

"Hey, didn't that freaky zombie thing have a mask on?" Toph asked. "Wasn't that its weak point?"

"You're right! The duck thing had it too."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Katara said. This left Toph further in a state of confusion.

"What duck thing?"

"Turtle Ducky," Sokka said, "Long story, really not interesting." He coughed again, "If I can break its mask shouldn't we be able to -?"

"Get low," Toph said, "It's easier to breathe."

They crouched down low. It became a little easier to see, and their lungs didn't feel as clogged, but it was still hard to breathe. "I hate to bring this up, but, isn't its mask made out of smog too?"

"Never know unless we try, Sweetness. Can you guys see it anywhere?" Sokka and Katara both scanned the cloud. Though tendrils of smoke wafted before their eyes like light linen blindfolds, they could make out vague shapes within the cloud, none of them resembling the ornate steel mask that the creature formed around.

"No?" Toph asked. She didn't get a response, and shrugged, "Let's keep moving. It's got to be around here somewhere." The ground was uneven, but she could make out where the cracks were and was able to get a sense where the shattered land wasn't as bad.

"Still not seeing it," Sokka said.

"Me neither."

"Hurry it up!" Toph said after a series of hacking coughs, "I'd rather not choke to death on smog."

"Working on it," Sokka coughed. "Wait! There! I see it!"

"Huh? Where?" She followed Sokka's outstretched finger and rubbed at her eyes. "There? You're sure? I can barely see through the smog it's so thick there!"

"Exactly. And I know just the thing for it!" Sokka said. The girls coughed, just staring blankly in his direction. "Boomerang!"

"Oh your stupid boomerang," Toph said. "Sure, why not. I could try flinging a boulder at it if you gave me directions."

"No, Boomerang needs a chance to shine," Sokka said.

"Fine. Have your fun. I'll be here trying to get a path in this smog in case you miss."

"Boomerang never misses!" Sokka paused, the hair on the back of his neck responding to the stares he was receiving. "Well, except for those times it missed."

"Of course, silly me!" Toph exclaimed. "Now let me concentrate and throw your little toy around."

"Stupid Toph, hurting Boomerang's feelings. There there, Boomerang, I believe in you," Sokka whispered to the boomerang. He noticed Katara staring at him between coughing fits. "What?"

"I don't know how you can talk so much."

"So?"

"You're using all of our air!"

"It'll be fine!" Sokka said. "Boomerang! Go!" He threw the boomerang in a wide arc and it sailed through the smog, catching glimmers of the distorted fires on the bladed edge. The old hunting relic still turned smoothly into its return swing, coming down through the center of the cloud.

Like a bolt out of the blue, it struck straight and ture on the steel mask.

And collided with a loud clang.

Sokka's face fell. "Nice shot," Katara said.

"Boomerang, no!"

"This is funny and all, but let's move! This way!"

"But, boomerang!"

"Yeah, it's not coming back. Move!" Toph pushed along the ground, following the path she'd mapped out through her feet. Katara tugged at Sokka to hurry him up, but he dragged on his heels. "What's the hold up, stay close!"

"Sokka, it's just a boomerang!"

"Right, right," Sokka said, shaking his head, "Where to?"

"This way!"

The heat was getting more intense the further they went. Gouts of flame gushed out of the fragments blasting black soot all over. The choking smog grew thicker, breathing in the ash and expanding. The scion's mask seemed to swell, growing larger.

As did a small crack, unnoticed.

Breathing meanwhile had gotten tougher and tougher. Toph managed to grunt out that she found another path threw her coughs, but their pace was slowed. Katara gave Sokka a weak look. It really seemed like they'd been beat this time.

Sokka frowned. He reached for his sword, but Katara shook her head. There was still a chance they'd be able to make it without risking their lives. Sokka acquiesced reluctantly. They couldn't see it, but the pathway Toph was leading them on lead to the center of the inferno of the shattered Ba Sing Se, down a molten path, towards a door. The choking smog hovered over them, pursuing them, and the crack along its surface continued to grow.

They were so close when they stopped, falling to the ground as the coughing overtook them. The smog was so strong and thick and black that they couldn't even see in front of their eyes. The mask's mouthless face began to swoop in closer, savoring its kill, when the expression turned pained.

The smog began to lift as the crack reached from one side of the mask to the other, The mask began to snap in half, bright light gushing forth from the wound. "What's happening?" Katara moaned after a wheezing cough. No one knew the answer. The mask fell limply to the ground where it dissolved into darkness.

"I can breathe!" Sokka said, relieved. "Finally!" He pushed himself to his knees.

"That sucked!" Toph moaned. Katara secretly agreed. Brushing the soot off, Katara quickly surveyed the wreckage.

"We're nearly there!" Katara said, relief washing over her.

"Finally! Anyone seen my boomerang?"

"Oh yeah. I totally saw it over there," Toph said.

"I'm not falling for it this time! Hah!"

* * *

"This is definitely a console," Azula said, eying Yue dangerously while rubbing her head. "Unfortunately, last time I couldn't understand a single word these consoles say. It's all in some nonsense space language, no doubt based upon an alien race in one of my brother's frivolous childhood television programs."

She looked over the device. Yes, the characters were still alien to her, but she could probably figure out how this worked if she took a second. There seemed to be a lot of the character that looked like a small circle with a quarter missing and a horizontal line in the middle. That typical meant that it was an important character. Unfortunately, after a minute, she sighed. None of it made any sense, except maybe the one that looked like a man wearing a hat. No doubt a pictograph for, well, a man wearing a hat. "Process of elimination?"

"Inelegant, but necessary." She began to hit as many buttons as she could, in rapid succession. When nothing happened, she tried to imitate that characters on the screen. Eventually, she heard a shrill sound as the OZAI Mainframe appeared on the console's monitor.

"Oh no!" Yue said, "Did we do something?"

Azula braced herself for something to blow, but instead, she heard the low humming of machines underneath her feet and felt her feet slowly fall to the ground. "_Gravity restored,_" a female voice intoned, mechanically.

"You did it!"

"Of course I did," Azula said, confidently. There was no question of that. The image on the screen began to flicker into static, and Azula was about to turn and go when she caught something out of the corner of her eye in the static.

She grew pale as the image became clearer to her. Taking a step back, she looked like she'd seen a ghost. in fact, she was all but certain she was. "No," she said, "You-!"

"Azula?" Yue looked at the screen. The static was as strong as ever. It made a loud crackling sound and lit up the room with a pale gray light. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you see her? On the screen!"

Yue looked again. There was nothing there. "Azula, I don't see anything."

"She's there on the screen!"

"Who is?"

Azula's eyes seemed to lose their luster, and she began to scream, an incomprehensibly primal scream as she drew her gun and fired at the screen several times. The image began to flicker on and off before settling on off.

Azula stared. Even as the screen dimmed, the image did not. "Azula? What's wrong? Who's there? Who do you see?"

"M, mo-" she cut herself off, channeling a large twister of air to completely destroy the console and every trace of the monitor, before she stood, breathing heavily, staring at the point. "Zuko's mocking me. Mocking me!"

"Azula! Calm down!" Yue hadn't seen her like this in a long time. "What's wrong? What do you see?"

"She was there. My mother," Azula said quietly. "My mother was on the screen."

"You're imagining things, Azula," Yue said, calmingly, "She isn't there." Azula's breathing slowly began to return to normal as Yue repeated in a soothing voice the same thing over and over. She looked down to the ground.

She couldn't figure out what came over her. The intensity of that rage was something she hadn't been prepared for. "I don't know what came over me there, Yue. Please, don't mention it to the others. I am perfectly fit to lead."

"Azula, maybe you should rest. We've been in here a long time."

"No, we're almost through. This is the last door. I know it," she said. She looked at the mess of wires and cables that once had been the console. "Let's get back."

"Azula, that presence is approaching fast! I think your bending alerted it."

"What?" She looked at the door. "Where is it?"

"Right outside," Yue whispered.

The door released pressure as it opened up. The silhouette against the red light looked particularly menacing as it stepped through the door and drew a large, toy-like blade. As it approached, Azula could make out the details more clearly. it was made of a hodge-podge of discarded pieces, held together by red lines eminating from beneath the steel mask.

"Azula, we can't fight this thing alone."

"What other choice do we have?"

"Let me search for another way, Azula."

Azula grimaced, and then nodded, "Fine. Make it quick. I will distract it." Azula drew a bead with her gun and fired. Yue had other things to focus on than watching Azula struggle with that creature. The room was quite large, with several other consoles lining the walls. The other monitors were off, quite permanently from the looks of things.

But she could sense something deeper within the room. A familiar, yet alien presence. "There's a door! It leads into one of those strange pockets of time."

"Excellent!" Azula said, a gust of wind repealling a barrage of pellets. "Where?"

"This way!"

"Bit busy, allow me just a minute," Azula answered, politely. She launched another gust of wind that pushed the mechanical man into the wall and then drew out a water bottle, splashing its contents at the creature and freezing them on contact. "That won't hold him long."

"Okay. Follow me!"

* * *

The other side of the door contained a surprise for the trio that emerged. Gravity. The passageway they found themselves on was over a major hub of terminals not unlike the one in the main room. They appeared to be closer to the top than they'd been before, though. "Well, that's a relief."

"Tell me about it. We got lucky this time," Katara agreed with her brother. Toph stretched, looking as if nothing had happened save for the soot that covered her face. "I wonder which way we should go."

"Hey, don't look now," Sokka interrupted out of the corner of his mouth, "But someone's watching us."

"Who?" The girls seemed to be looking around. Sokka sighed.

"That shadow kid." Sokka frowned. And indeed, the shadowy boy stood at the end of the platform, just staring at them. He began to take a step backwards, turning on his heel, but Sokka started into a dash. "Hey, get back here!"

"Aang, wait up!" Katara called after him.

He wished Katara hadn't said that. Sokka was certain, one-hundred percent that they were wrong. That wasn't Aang. And he was going to prove it right here and there. He reached out his hand to stop the other boy. His hand reached the boy's shoulder and seemed to sink into the blackness that surrounded him.

He recoiled his hand at the sensation. "Who are you?" he asked. The boy turned to stare at him and a smile crept onto its face as it did. Sokka shook. That was not a friendly smile at all. "_What_ are you!"

He drew his sword instinctively and when the boy raised his arm forward, he struck in response. He heard his sister shout out in surprise. But he was more horrified that the sword had gone through wtihout touching anything. The arm just hovered in place with a line slashed out, the shadows writhing about, reaching out to each other.

"You're not Aang," Sokka said. He sliced again, this time clear through the figure's torso. The figure exploded out, pushing him down.

"Sokka!" Katara cried, rushing over to him. She stared at the boy as the darkness slowly started to reconstruct itself into its form. Some fragments just clung to the ground, unmoving, and though the boy stood with his heart exposed, a shining blue core, his smile never faded.

"Guys, watch out!" Toph said. "Whatever those things are, they're moving!"

Sokka and Katara's attention turned to the small puddles of darkness that started to crawl off of the ground. The boy shook his head slowly and walked away.

_To be continued._


	24. Ego

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_Author's Note: I wrote something. I hope you like it._

_"A man's gotta do, y'know, what a man's gotta do for life, the battle, yeah, got a little robust since we first met 'cause I have yet to put my fist down..'"_

_- Burn My Dread -Last Battle- Reincarnation_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 23: **_Ego_

At first, Azula wasn't quite sure where the door had taken them, but the sense of heat and urgency in the air slowly brought her around. Yue was nowhere to be seen. She was alone, and she was beginning to get afraid.

Whose bright idea was this to put the labs on the upper floors of the Ba Sing Se main building? She really had to wonder why no one saw this coming.

She growled.

Why of all places did this door have to take her to the scene of the accident. This was the exact moment her life took a turn for the worse. She had no idea where she could even go to be safe. She just had to hope that something would disturb things before she was caught in the massive explosion that would bind Agni to this world.

Lab Three, the Earth Spirit Lab, if she remembered right. Well, that eased her tensions a bit. She wouldn't have to worry about the wandering Agni at least. She hoped not, at any rate. Still, she had to use her time wisely. Locate Yue, and somehow alter the time frame.

A thought occured.

Couldn't she alter things so the accident never happened? Looking around, it was clearly too late to contain Agni, but they did not have a trained bender on staff when this occured. In fact, the only reason bending existed, she reasoned, was that the experiment caused a leak in the Spirit World. Did their actions in these pockets have any affects outside?

Perhaps her almost careless and wanton disregard for her safety in Toph's memories was a little hasty if that were the case, but still. Toph seemed to be the same, or did the maze shield them from those affects.

These were questions she hadn't thought of before.

"You're wasting time, you know!"

Azula turned to the source of the voice, even though she knew who it was. "I'm not. I'm considering my course of action."

"What's past is past, there's no changing it, not without giving up something in return, anyway. I mean, yeah, nothing is immutable, but the harder it is the change, the more you have to sacrifice. Since it's you, I thought I'd let you know."

Xiao smiled. "Thanks for the warning."

"I'm serious! Do you know what changing the past could do?" she asked. "No? Then I won't say!"

"I don't have time for these games. I'm trying to concentrate."

"Oh. Well, I'll be right here, then" she said, forlornly. "I'm always with you, you know. Even if you forget about me."

So she'd said. Azula tried to concentrate,. but she could hear the annoying humming from beside her. She saw Xiao lean from side to side from the corner of her eye, and in general just couldn't think. "Do you have something you wanted to add?"

"Yuh-huh! I wanted to cheer you on. I know it's been long and tiring, but you're almost there! Soon, we'll meet face to face, for reals! I'm so happy that you're bravely marching through danger to reach me. But this one is the toughest yet."

"So I see."

"But you'll do it, because you're Azula, and," she smiled, sadly, strangely, "And you're my friend. I know you'll do it."

"Friend?"

"You have friends, don't you. That's what you feel, deep inside. I just know it. And I'd be so happy if you wanted me as a friend." She seemed so earnest. What was Azula to do. She nodded, slowly. "Thank you!"

Xiao seemed oblivious to the world, but Azula couldn't afford to be. The doors down the hall blasted open and she heard someone coughing and crying. "Is there anyone out there?" a woman called out. She must have overheard the two of them talking.

She was about to say something to Xiao when it became clear that she was no longer there. It was infuriating how she did that! She looked around. It would be suspicious to say nothing. "Here, I'm over here."

"Oh, thank goodness someone else is all right. We need to get down to Lab Four," the woman said, "It's the only fireproofed place in the building not on lockdown." She seemed vaguely familiar, the way she talked and the way she carried her body. Water Tribe, too, and for a Water Tribe woman to be here - yes, the family resemblance fell into place. The same eyes, the same hair, everything passed down to her daughter.

"Kya Floes, I presume?" Azula asked. She noticed the woman was carrying something in her arms.

"I'm sorry, but introductions can wait," she said, "This boy needs to be put someplace safe."

Boy? She knew before even looking who it was. The odor of singed flesh gave it away. "Is he all right?"

"He received a nasty burn, but I don't know from where."

"He'll be all right," Azula said. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine," she said. "I'm not going to let my boss's nephew get hurt while I can do something about it, though." She smiled. "You know, you seem quite young yourself."

"I'm older than I look," Azula lied casually.

"Isn't that a school uniform, though?"

Azula couldn't think of a way out of that one. "School reunion," she said lamely. "Surprised it still fit."

"Oh, I see," she said. She put on a weary smile, and with a commiserating tone, said, "Rotten day for a reunion."

"You have no idea."

"I don't know what else to do," Kya said, opening the door to Lab Four. She winced when she looked inside. "Oh dear."

"It's the safest place. Lab Four was fireproofed. If we lock the door, nothing will be able to get in."

"Yes, of course."

"You should go in, too," Azula said. "You have people who need you." Kya looked at her, perplexed, her brow creasing as she racked her brain. She kicked herself. She had no way of knowing about Sokka and Katara ten years ago. "Well, so I assume. You have a family, don't you?"

Kya relaxed. "Yes. My husband and I have two children. My oldest is about his age," she sighed, "But - Mr. Houou says the accident's started some kind of chain reaction. If we don't do something now, things will only get worse."

Azula frowned. Ten years ago, which strange as it was to think, was the now for them, the Unification would be set into motion. Kya Floes would help Iroh Houou by stopping the experiment before the gate to the Spirit World would open large enough that the two worlds would begin merging.

Ten years later, a boy who happened to be the Avatar - who happened to be here today, though Azula did not know that - would return to Ba Sing Se and start the two worlds slowly coming together. Unwittingly, Kya's children would be drawn into the secret war and unintentionally speed that Unification along.

This was a woman who loved her children enough to sacrifice her own life for the chance at a future, even one as full of trials as theirs would inevitably be.

Azula clenched her fists tightly. It was not fair. No one, no one would have done that for her. "You'll die if you go back out there."

"Maybe, maybe not," Kya said, "But it doesn't matter. Someone has to do something. Mr. Houou can't do this alone."

"What can possibly be worth that risk?" Azula demanded to know.

"You're still young," Kya smiled, "You'll understand someday. You should stay in here, too. It's a bit ghastly, but, it's safe."

"I - I have a friend, she's still in here somewhere. I can't go yet."

"I'll help you look."

"No!" She said that a little louder than she expected. Kya looked shocked, and Azula scrambled for an explanation. "No, I mean, I mean you have more important things to do. We all knew the risks when we got involved."

Kya looked saddened, but nodded. "Do you think Mr. Houou will be able to set things right?"

"You doubt him now?"

"No, but, it seems so horrible. He's a gentle man, but sometimes his ambition exceeds his reach." She frowned. "I don't want this to haunt my children, or yours."

Kya looked to her as if she had the answers. A complete stranger to her, and she was looking for something comforting to say, some sort of reassurance that she was going the right thing. Azula grimaced. She knew full well that she'd be the one to pick up the pieces. Or, she thought she would be. That did not in the end appear to be her destiny.

She wished she knew what her destiny was, too.

But, all she could think of was something her uncle had said. "It's a bitter work, Mrs. Floes. But we'll get it done, somehow."

"Yes, you're absolutely right." She took Azula's hand and shook it. Azula could see the ground fragment as she shook her hand. "Thank you, Miss. May I ask you your name?"

Azula fumbled. Kya knew about both Iroh's nephew and niece by name, and Azula wasn't a common enough name to just say. It wasn't like she could get away by claiming to be named Lee, either. She shivered and scrambled for an answer. She couldn't use _that_ name, so why not borrow - "Xiao."

"Xiao. That's a pretty name."

Of course, Azula thought, she did come up with it herself after all.

"Thank you," Kya said again. "Good luck finding your friend."

"I, yes," she said, stepping back cracks in the floor. "Good luck to you too." The scene shattered before her, the splintered image of Kya running towards her fate seemed to fade into darkness.

"She was funny. Why bother, right?"

"Xiao, I was wondering where you went."

"I'm always with you, remember!" Xiao peeked out from behind Azula's legs, looking like a little girl who'd just been scolded. "And another thing, how come you can take my name! It's not fair! Not fair at all!" Xiao puffed out her cheeks. "Oh well, since it's you, I'll let it go."

"Fine."

"You're so cool, Azula!"

"I'm curious. Do you know why these places do, well, this?" She pointed to the shattered world around them. Xiao laughed. "Well?"

"Why they do that? Because you want them to, right? That's why anything happens in the Labyrinth of Lethe."

"What do you mean?"

"This place is reality for those who enter," Xiao whispered conspiratorially. "I don't know what that means, but I guess it's why everyplace you've been to has been weird. Anyway, isn't this what you want?"

"I don't even know what's happening!"

"The same thing that happens to all who partake of the waters of Lethe," Xiao said mysteriously, putting a finger to her lips, a conspiratorial signal, and then laughed, "Or so I've been told! Anyway, we're nearly to the end of this, so let's go!"

"I have to find someone first."

Xiao narrowed her eyes, "Is this your secret friend that you've not been telling me about?"

"Why do you care."

"I don't! I don't!" Xiao said, unconvincingly, "It's just I thought you were so cool and always alone and independent!"

Azula frowned. She was, wasn't she? But that other part of her that seemed to be getting more and more confident every minute she spent in the company of the Bending Club spoke up, and Azula could barely understand why she said it at all, "That doesn't mean you can't have help sometimes."

Why she was lecturing this little girl was confusing enough. More strange was her reaction. She looked like she'd been slapped. "Well, well, fine! Be that way. See if I help you! I hope you forget everything, you know! Ev-ER-ee-THING!"

And she was gone. Azula never got used to the idea of things disappearing. It made her feel like she was getting lost back in her head. Like that last time. Xiao'd been there, too, pushing her along - she wasn't sure what to make of that, only that meeting Xiao face to face would surely give her all the answers.

She'd been driven by this the whole time, the desire to see her face to face, in search of the answers. And perhaps even Aang, though for the life of her she didn't know why he kept yanking her along with him.

She put her hand up to the shattered remains of the lab door. Zuko was safe inside. He would one day be taught, like her, to firebend, and would become a powerful bender in his own right. She frowned. How many years of their lives had been thrown at that singular cause, and what was the end result?

She was furious, for the first time she could remember a hot rage was starting to boil in the pit of her stomach. It just was not fair. Without her bending, without her purpose, who was Azula Houou? This was not fair, and it would not stand.

How many years - how many - how many - why did her brain go so numb? Like all who partake of Lethe's waters? She would have to see if that meant anything to the others, because for some reason, her mind was getting fuzzier the further back she tried to remember.

Yue - she needed to find Yue. One task at a time, and let nothing stand in her way. Her name was Azula Houou, and that was absolute.

* * *

Though they'd started out like small puddles of black ooze, they were growing at an incredible rate. They seemed to be devouring the very fabric of the world itself, and their forms started to take shape, as well as the strange and omnipresent masks.

"This is a problem."

Which was an understatement in and of itself. It was more of a monumental set-back, kind of like the entire - albeit flawed from the get-go - conceit of chasing after that boy was the chance he might actually be Aang.

There was no way that thing was Aang. Whatever it was, it definitely didn't want them to get to the center of the maze. Still, Sokka had more important things to do than postulate over its motivations and actions, such as avoiding the shadowy mass that was crawling over to him intently. It raised up one of its hands and slapped him across the face.

He landed on the railing a moment later. His feet never touched the ground. "Ow." He could hear Toph wince. That went poorly.

"Keep your guard up. They may be small, but they're still pretty tough!" Katara advised. No kidding, Sokka moaned as he tried to get his breath back. Water sprayed through the air as Katara leapt to the front. Her waterbending was getting even better than it was when they fought Agni, or so it seemed to Sokka.

He had a vague memory of having his rear end handed to him. Weird how that slipped in, he thought, finally getting his breath back. "Okay, which one of you hit me?"

The black puddles looked at each other. Two shrunk backwards. The one left forward craned its mask about to look at its compatriots, and then back at Sokka. It made a loud squeak.

"Oh, so it was you, huh?" Sokka brandished his blade about menacingly, "Well we'll see about that!"

The blade cut through the mask cleanly, and the shadows dissipated into a miasma. "Nice one, Sokka!" Katara cheered. "My turn!"

She washed down a torrent of water upon the next shadow, washing it over the ledge and plummeting down. "One more!"

Toph shoved her palms down upon the pathway, denting the surface with the force. "Oh yeah, still got it!" She dug her fingers into the ground and lifted up the earth as the shadow puddle came charging towards her. Where once metal plating kept anything from falling, with little time or mind to stop, the shadowy mass ran straight into a large hole in the platform.

"You sure showed that one, Toph!"

"Can't let you guys have all the fun," she smirked. "Next question. Where do we go?"

"I don't know about following that, that thing - " Katara looked pale. "What is it, anyway?"

"If I was to make a guess, I'd say it's whatever is creating those monsters. You saw those things come out of it," Sokka said, "Well, felt it anyway."

"Yeah, but they were pushovers!"

"I don't know, Sokka's got a point. They had those weird masks and everything."

"Whatever it is, we'll find out when we get to the center," Sokka answered. "Right now, we've got to find Zuko and the others. We kind of have to remember that Zuko's kind of an idiot."

"Sokka!"

"Oooh, Katara's got a crush!"

"Toph, stop it!"

"Well even you got to admit, Katara, Zuko can be an idiot." Sokka shrugged. Not that he particularly felt any ill-will towards Zuko, but it was, quantifiably in his opinion, a matter of truth and not any personal grudge long harbored against the cooler and more mature Zuko.

Nothing like that at all.

Not even remotely.

For serious, even.

Which didn't explain why Katara was glowering at him. "Let's just get going!"

"I think I ticked her off," Sokka observed. Toph walked over to him, consolingly patted his shoulder, before smacking him on the leg. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I don't know. Just felt right."

* * *

For Yue, seeing this filled her with dread. The seed of fiery absolution, a long and draconid humanoid ablaze, frozen in time. After all they'd been through, it seemed a painful reminder that the threat was not gone, merely delayed. Mankind's despair did not disappear overnight.

Azula had no conception of this, and Yue forgave her for being impatient. She was okay with that, but then again, she seemed awfully okay with a lot of things. She just smiled and apologized, "I must have drifted off."

"Anyway, like I said, I've been looking all over for you. We need to find the way out."

"Of course!" Yue looked a bit bashful, "We should."

Azula cast a sidelong glance at the frozen spirit, "So that's the thing that beat Aang? Pathetic."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Yue answered, "After all, a lot happened in the ten years. I can't believe we are seeing what happened that day ten years ago." Yue noticed that Azula seemed pale and her focus seemed hazy. "What happened, Azula?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem unnerved?"

"Oh," Azula coughed, "It was nothing. I just need to find my brother and give him a piece of my mind. He seems determined to drive me insane."

"Don't push yourself too hard, Azula."

"I'll be fine. We just need to keep moving." Yue clasped her hands together fretfully. "I think I know the way out of here."

* * *

Not that she really knew, but Azula felt confident that she could figure it out before Yue began to worry any more. The sepia-toned inferno around them flickered and jumped like a scene from an old film reel being played through a broken television screen.

What Azula really needed with consistency. Move forward, never look back, never doubt your actions and never apologize: that's how she always behaved before. Now, she was beginning to slow down, to take a second look at her actions, and to consider just how they affected her companions.

Companions she didn't need, either. She could succeed alone.

But she just told Xiao the opposite. She just - it was all a series of quick, short thoughts that launched out of her brain in rapid succession, each more contradictory than the last. She was a contradiction, in the first place. Trapped in this sepia nightmare, with her only companion the very thing she'd sworn to defend her world from.

"Azula?" She kept calling her name whenever the headaches were loudest, like she could see into her head. Azula remained composed despite everything, so Yue's extraordinary senses could be the only possibility in Azula's mind. Whether or not that was truth was irrelevent as long as consistency was maintained.

:"What is it this time?"

"I think we're close," Yue said, "I can sense another door."

"Excellent, just as I expected," Azula said with a confident smile. "Let's hurry. I'm sure my brother is expecting us to burst in and rescue him with displays of tragic heroism any second now."

"Of course," Yue agreed, but it seemed to lack any real enthusiasm. "But, Azula, are you sure you're ready?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you haven't exactly been well since we defeated Sokka's Stranger." She paused, then said, with a little more resolution, "No, it was before that. From the moment you rescued me I worried something was wrong."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine," Azula insisted. She gave Yue an icy glower, "Not only am I all right, I'm more than adequate to defeat Zuzu no matter what form his Stranger may take."

"I'm not talking about your fighting abilities," Yue said, "But you've been acting peculiar this whole time, not as severely as before but it has been worrisome. And even stranger still, I am sure I sensed you with someone else earlier, but the second presence faded before I could be certain."

"That was probably Kya Floes," Azula answered, dismissively, "You are acting like I'm going insane, Yue." She probably was, Azula admitted to herself, but said instead, "I am perfectly fine. Relax."

"If you say so," Yue agreed, her voice sounding as broken as her protestations.

"Let's just keep moving."

* * *

"Okay, we've been moving forever. Can we sit down for five seconds. My feet are getting blisters!" Toph's protestations were echoed silently by Sokka, but Katara seemed more tired of hearing the complaints.

"Fine!" she snapped a bit harsher than she'd intended, "Just for five minutes, though. After that, we're not stopping until we find Azula and Yue."

"If they're even in this dimension or whatever," Toph said, flopping on the steel frame walkway with abandon. "Maybe they're in some weird time pocket like we were, and getting killed by weird smog monsters like we were."

"That's a possibility," Katara echoed, "But even if that's the case, we have to find Zuko, too."

"Oh, like Azula's going to let some cloud kill her," Sokka said, "She's got more lives than an octopus has arms."

"That's true," Toph said with a smirk, "She's invincible, in that funny when it's on our side sort of way."

"What about when it isn't," Katara asked, suddenly. Toph groaned and let her head crash against the floor. Sokka echoed her sentiment by rolling his eyes.

"You think she's really going to turn on us, now, Katara?"

"Did I say that?" Katara asked, indignantly. "What I meant is we're facing Zuko's world right now, but where do we go after this?"

Sokka grimaced. That did make sense. "But-"

"But what? We don't even know if this maze has an end or not, and you can't really believe she really doesn't have another side, do you?"

"Okay, it's a bit far-fetched, but still!" Sokka scratched his nose, giving a big goofy grin, "It's not like her other self can get her riled up. Just wait and see, everything's going to work out just fine."

"Wishful thinking isn't going to get us anywhere," Katara tutted. Sokka's grin deflated and he stroked his chin.

"We'll be able to take it. We've come this far, right? If the pattern holds, Zuko's firebending will be back. We'll be at full strength and even without Azula's help, I think we can take it."

"I hope so, Sokka, I really do."

"Let's get going. Zuko's not going to rescue himself."

"Yeah, right, he's too busy being all grumpy," Toph said as she pulled herself off the ground. "Let's go!" She led the way with a good deal of enthusiasm. The passage they took wound around the darkened inner hallways of the base, but there were changes, small but noticeable, in the walls and the floor. The walls became less a matter of function and more decorated. A painting here, and a view of the cosmos outside there, a floor that was more comfort than practical, and the asteroid's caverns were covered by thick black steel.

Eventually, even the low red light changed to white and bright. "We must be getting close," Katara said. She sighed in deadpan, "Look at the decor."

"Wow, talk about an ego," Sokka said. "Sculptures of himself. Looks like he's doing some kind of silly dance."

Katara giggled, "Yeah, looks pretty silly." Spirit Blue's statues were arranged in a circle and the room itself looked like some manner of waiting room. A large, sealed door placed at one end of the room looked particularly ominous,

"Yeah, whatever, looks fine to me. Let's go!"

"Hold up." Sokka took a quick evaluation of their surroundings, cupping a hand to his ear. After a moment, he said, "I think I heard something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Just sounded like," he paused again, his eyes widening in surprise. Katara and Toph could tell why, as the noise was clear enough. A shout, metal colliding against metal, a bang, Sokka succinctly summed it up, "Fighting!"

* * *

Moments earlier, but not many, Azula and Yue spiraled further down into the abyss between time and memory. The fragments of the laboratory shattered completely, leaving only a narrow pathway made up of the memory of the building. It circled further into the empty space that seemed to give off a faint and lonesome light.

Yue pursed her lips together nervously, examining the fragments of glass that spun about lethargically in the abyss

They seemed lonely, like a vague memory in the recesses of some cosmic mind, only barely registering, never once recalled or relived. And Yue and Azula were the dreamers passing through, their destination a door that was completely out of place amongst this timeless expanse. "You've been quiet."

Azula didn't usually bother people from their revelry, but something about the way she said it seemed desperate just for an answer. "I was just thinking how unusual all of this is. It's beautiful, in a way. Very abstract."

"It's rather pointless, though," Azula said.

"Why?"

"The past is past," she answered, "We can't dwell on it."

Yue sighed. While she wasn't wrong, strictly speaking, she seemed to fundamentally misunderstand the reasons. "Azula, the past makes us who we are, don't you think? While we shouldn't dwell on things we can't change, we shouldn't simply disregard it, either."

"If you really believe so," Azula said, shaking her head. "Once we're out of here-"

"Well, if you're so eager to get out of here," Yue laughed, playfully before lifting her dress off the ground and bursting into a dash, "Then let's race!"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Afraid I'll beat you?"

Azula's competitive fire burned bright at the challenge. "Hardly! I just don't think it's fair for you." She grinned. Giving her a head start was only fair, after all, which begged her the question why she was allowing it. She made a sprint to catch up. She would doubtlessly reach the door before the princess, who was already fumbling, but she seemed quite happy all the same.

Strangely, that seemed infectious. "Beat you!" Azula said, triumphantly.

"So you did," Yue smiled back. She mocked a quick bow. "I am respectfully bowing to your superiority."

"Clearly." Azula followed with one of her own, "I am bowing to your humility. Respectfully, of course."

"Of course."

"D'accord," Azula said finally, "Now, shall we see where this door leads us?"

"Yes. Be careful, Azula," Yue said, "I have a bad feeling about this." Azula nodded, but turned the handle regardless. There was no way to go but forward, and nothing else to do but open the door. She pushed the door open.

They were now in a room filled with bright light that replaced the red light of the emergency power provided everywhere else in the secret base. Artists' renderings of various celestial bodies were adorned on the wall in ornate frames, and there was a sense of tranquility and meditation all about them. "Typical Zuzu," Azula muttered. It still didn't make much sense. It was clearly out in space, the windows confirmed that, but it looked less like a secret base and rather a rather comfortable home.

"How unusual," Yue added.

"I suppose. This is Zuzu's subconscious, though," Azula continued, "It's likely that we're reaching the core of the base. His inner sanctum, if you like."

"And that means Zuko must be nearby. Our Zuko, I mean."

"Both of them, I bet," Azula said. "I'm looking forward to this."

"Wait, there's a powerful presence here," Yue warned. Her brow knitted in puzzlement, "It's that one that's been chasing us! It's very nearby."

"Define very."

Yue opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "Turn around?"

"That is about what I expected," Azula answered with a sight. She grabbed her pistol and turned. The metal monstrosity loomed menacingly behind them, blocking off the passage. "Let me guess, that's the way we have to go."

"Yes." Yue looked a bit helpless, "I can't tell if any of the passages lead around, but I think we should run."

"Noted." Azula fired twice. The bullets seemed to just bounce off of the mask, harmlessly falling to the ground. "This is getting tiresome. I refuse to run anymore."

"I don't detect any weaknesses, Azula," Yue warned. "Your bullets are just bouncing off, and I don't think bending's going to be very effective either."

"It's just a matter of applying the right amount of force at just the right point," Azula retorted. "I just need to focus." Easier said than done, she'd be quick to admit, but she was more capable than anyone when it came to applying force. A confident smirk spread easily across her lips. Bending the air, her feet left the ground and she seemed to hover in mid-air.

And it seemed like time slowed down as she reached the apex of her jump. Her brain worked in overtime, cursory simulations of every action she could take running through her mind's eye She decided, she acted, and she struck.

She'd admit it was a gamble freely, but she was confident enough that if she struck with quick, probing strikes, she could find some sign of imperfection in the metal frame, Her toe connected with solid steel but she used the momentum from the jump kick to flip around back and struck wtih several quick open-palm swipes down the back of the mechanical monster. Its armor plating refused to crack, Frustration was mounting. She shifted to its flank as the creature moved, the pistons and pumps of the borrowed machinery making an ominous noise as it did.

She kicked at its knees, and swung a fist at its side, but it hurt about as much as punching a solid brick wall could. She grunted. Earthbending wasn't working. She'd have to resort to waterbending. Which, despite her strides previously, did not inspire her with confidence.

"Watch out!" Yue cried. Azula was distracted from her contemplations at the sight of the mechanical suit lifting up a massive, cartoonish sword. Azula grabbed a bottle of water as quickly as she could and let the water burst out of the plastic container, freezing it as it splashed into the construct.

It slowed it down, but only for a brief moment. The ice cracked under the force exerted by the machinery, and the sword came down all the same, but Azula wasn't there. She'd retreated back, and frowned. "Perhaps Firebending?" Yue suggested.

"I don't think I can," Azula said, "I can't seem to -"

"That's peculiar," Yue observed.

"No time to discuss it," Azula grunted as she pushed herself forward.

The next few minutes seemed a blur of action.

Azula's rush slowed to a stop, the spirit's attack ceased, Sokka called out to Azula, and Katara drew their attention to something that would momentarily be obvious. All at once, the noise of the battle ceased. A figure cut clean through the spirit's mask, and stood their, dramatically, as the metal abberation slowly fell forward before exploding in a large ball of fire.

His pose didn't waver, not even with the proximity. The mask still the grim parody it always had been, and his features invisible to everyone. If he even felt the heat, he made no action that made that clear. He just stood, like a statue, for a minute, holding a heroic pose.

It would have been ridiculous if not that he'd just stopped the spirit in one strike.

Finally, he spoke. "You actually came. Hah! I expected as such." He shifted his pose, nodding his head along with his speech. "I expected you to come, and so, you came. It's all falling into place. This monster you sent to defeat me stood no chance!"

"Yeah, sure sounds like typical tv writing," Toph muttered.

"Hah, I suppose you've come to rescue your ally. No matter. He remains within my inner sanctum, where I contemplate my duties to the OZAI Mainframe!"

"You have to contemplate your duties?" Sokka rolled his eyes, "Totally daddy issues."

"Your disrespect has been noted. When Orika-Zatar conquers your puny planet, I shall make certain you and yours will be enslaved to clean my toilets! HI-YAH!"

"Oh, you hear that, Sokka? It's on, now!"

"Quiet, Toph, the grown-ups are talking," Sokka waved off dismissively, then adding at the Spirit Blue's direction, "Yeah, well, your mother's an aardvark."

An awkward silence fell around them. Katara was the first to speak. "What's an aardvark?"

"I have no idea. I just thought it sounded cool."

"If the beings of your race have as puny an intellect as yours, conquest is assured. HAH!"

"Shut up! I can think of a hundred better insults than that, I just was, uh, testing you. That's right! It was a test, and you passed, Zuzu."

"Enough about Sokka's puny little brain," Azula snapped. "Release my brother or else I'm going to get mad."

"If you want to see him so badly, then come to my Inner Sanctum, if you dare." He reared his head back, and said, "Aha-ha-ha-ha!" Then, grabbing his wrist, he disappeared in a column of blue light. A moment passed before anyone reacted.

Yue apprehensively began, "He seemed quite confident."

"No kidding," Sokka said, "But Zuko's always had that 'I'm totally better than you' thing going on."

"Ha! Zuko? Confident?" Azula began to laugh from her belly, unable to continue her thought while the others just looked at her in confusion.

"That aside, who wants to bet he's going to go all monster on us when we get there?"

"He does seem to be expecting it," Yue said, "I can think of no other reason he would taunt us into entering his sanctum."

"Do we have a choice?" Katara asked. There was no need to answer. Azula, however, recovered from her laughing fit and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Zuzu is about as confident as a lemur facing a platypus-bear, which is to say, not very," she elaborated through a contented sigh. "Honestly, I'm amazed you didn't realize it sooner. His desire for validation outweighs his better senses."

"That's how you blackmailed him?" Katara sniped.

"Katara, I've _blackmailed_ my brother more times than I can remember," Azula said. She felt that this was true despite her cloudy memory, but she wasn't sure why, "You're going to have to be more specific."

She answered with another question, "What do you think I mean?" There was something about the way she asked that made Azula pause. She vaguely recalled something in the back of her mind. Ghosts and a bamboo forest and a great spirit corrupted - all a big haze, but elements could still be made out like the shape of a mountain on a foggy morning.

"That's not important. We need to get to this inner sanctum. Yue?"

"It's only about a minute's walk from Zuko and his imposter," Yue answered. "But something doesn't feel right. We - we should definitely hurry!"

"Zuko's probably about to lose it," Toph said, "Let's book!"

* * *

A door opened, and a room entered - the inner sanctum of the Stars of Solitude looks about as one would expect of a serial villain. The asteroid's floor had been cut open around the center and a transparent surface - much harder than glass but just as clear - stared down into the abyss of space. A sun of red and blue hues burned in the distance, and the stars seemed somehow less brilliant besides it. The asteroid's cavernous ceiling was full of jutting stalactites, and the walls were of a foggy grey steel.

Zuko stood at one end of the room, across from him, the Spirit Blue spoke in strange and sinister tones. Between them, a projection of the OZAI Mainframe lingered in the air, unspeaking, its garbled, barely human face seemed all the more terrifying at that scale. It flashed red and green as the projection distorted.

" - Oh, your so-called friends have arrived, I see. It took them quite some time to get through. We put them through quite an elaborate trap, you see. It's a pity you refused my offer for a tour."

"I'm getting tired of hearing this. You just keep going on and on, but you don't make any sense."

"Don't I?" The distorted projection stabilized, its face now arranged in a disapproving frown. "You know what you are, that's why you keep pushing everyone away. Makes it easier that way, just like our father always told us. People are valuable as tools and are otherwise about as worthwhile as some kind of domestic animal."

"That's a terrible lie," Zuko said.

"He still believed it. He may have been crazy, but you're still his son. I know you feel it, the pressure of all those expectations. You're Ozai's son, you've got to do great things. Anything less and you'll be written off as little more than a footnote."

"I -"

"Don't tell me you don't want the power and prestige that comes from being the president of the biggest corporate group in the world. You're just scared because the board is getting antsy about a high school graduate running the company. Already, they're saying you'll never live up to your father's legacy. Admit it! You've got the wolves at your door, Zuko, and you're about to go spare."

"Shut up," he bellowed, "You don't know anything."

"But I do. Isn't that right? You all know exactly what this is. You've all seen it before. Repeat after me. I am you -"

"Zuko, just get this over with!" Azula shouted. "I'm going to enjoy disassembling this one piece by piece."

"Typical Azula, always lying," Spirit Blue said. "Yet, you still believe her everytime. You're such an idiot! How can you do anything right. That's what we keep saying, isn't it? We don't even have enough confidence to stand up to our comatose sister."

Zuko gripped his head, angrily growling all the while. "Leave them alone."

"Or what, Zuko? You'll beat me up? That's all we _can_ do. We're punks, delinquents, the most we can hope to amount to is a schoolyard bully. We don't have the brains to run the company, and we certainly don't have what it takes to live up to your father's expectations."

"You're wrong. I - I won't be like him. You don't even know the first thing about me."

The projection flickered and died, the image dissolving into a shadow that began to writhe around the Spirit Blue's leg. It enveloped him as he laughed. "I know everything about you, Zuko. I'm you, remember?"

"No - I can't -" He gripped his head even tighter, but his fingers grew weak and his eyelids drooped. He futily fought to retain consciousness as the shadows enveloped his Stranger entirely. Under their feet, the room was lit up by the light of a distant nova. It cut a line through the shadows, giving it shape and form. The other Zuko stood taller than them, but he did not tower as the others before had. It stood with six arms, each pair with a set of dao blades, moving in a complex kata. He was dresse in an elaborate blue suit, looking like some kind of old Fire Nation soldier.

But it was the head that drew Azula's attention. A face like the Blue Spirit faced forward, but on either side it was flanked by another face. To her right, she saw a red, blustery face that she could immediately see as a parody of her father's, set in a permanent rage and to her left, she saw a serene white face, eyes closed in a calming fashion. She knew that face, and she could feel something rise up in the pit of her stomach. It couldn't be -

"I am free of that coward at last. I'll carve out a new legacy, starting with you interlopers!"

"So, Azula," Katara muttered, "Still excited about tearing him to shreds?"

"More than ever, Katara," Azula retorted with a low growl, "More than ever." Ill met by starlight, Azula thought as the figure of Zuko's Stranger moved with the shadow trailing like a fireball's tail. His swords caught the starlight alternately sheening under the frigid blue and infernal red lights, and they struck.

It was like some sort of dance, each blade moved towards a different target, and each of them ducked or dived away. The Blue Spirit face's sick grin remained affixed, but a red point of light somewhere in the recess of the demon's eye shined even brighter. Two sets of swords came flying through the air towards Azula, and she flipped back, the last set stabbed forward at her. Azula corrected herself mid-jump, and barely landed between the two steel blades.

Sokka drew his own blade and struck back, aiming at the right flank. Two sets of right arms brought their blades around to block, wrapping around the black metal weapon, and pulling him in closer.

A lance of ice interrupted the stranger's attack. Colliding, it shattered, fragments grazed past Sokka's face, and Zuko's blades released his. "This guy's good," he said with a heavy breath, before bringing his sword around to slash again. The Stranger was cut right across the nose of the blue face, and through the force caused the three faces to spin around wildly.

"No kidding," Katara said, wrapping a globule of water around her as she repositioned herself. "You nearly became a shish-kebob."

"Thanks, sis, knew I could count on you!" Sokka smiled right back.

"Enough talking, more fighting," Azula said. "Yue, status report!"

"Give me a little bit. These things are a lot harder to read than they look," Yue answered. "Though, this Stranger seems to be changing. Be careful!" Azula nodded, then cast a glance around the room. She didn't see where Toph had gone after Zuko had sent them into disarray.

She saw her now. Or rather, she saw her handiwork. The ceiling began to rumble ominously as a fissure ran around the stalactites. A controlled cave-in, Toph's handiwork without a doubt, brought down the makeshift stone spear on the other Zuko's head.

Then the stalactite shattered in a fiery blaze. "What the -"

The heat clearly came from the Stranger's hands, the fiery red face now placed facing forward observed the remnants as they rained down over the sanctum. "He's using Firebending now," Yue observed, "The faces - I wonder -"

"We got it, avoid fireballs," Sokka said, "It's just like fighting any other firebender, right?"

"How many firebenders can fire six fireballs at once?"

"Good point, Katara, very good point."

"Yeah, I hear I have those sometimes," she retorted. Zuko's Stranger craned its heads around curiously for a moment. Azula, in response, readied herself to attack while the others followed her lead. The other-Zuko gripped the swords in his hands tightly, and then threw all six into the air. They reflected myriad colors as it caught the various stars lights.

And the Stranger himself shot out a wave of fireballs around him before grabbing each sword and, flames dancing across the blades like dragons, charging for Azula. She managed to deflect the fireball with ease - a gust of wind was all it took - but the attack came relentlessly. She ducked under the first attack and spun around with a sweeping kick that started up a small tornado.

The fiery blades just dispersed the winds before coming down in rapid succession at her. She rolled to her feet, feeling the hot breeze to her back as she did. His face shifted now, back to the Blue Spirit's ugly visage: the flames dispersed and his movements became swifter, his attacks became difficult to read. The sudden burst of speed threw her off, and she could feel a blade cutting her uniform and leaving a scratch on her arm.

He moved in, spinning the blades in a grand flourish as he prepared to continue his assault. Toph shouted and kicked up small fragments of stalactite debris Zuko's other self looked up at the sound. The fragments rocketed towards him, but with what seemed like a fluid movement he struck down each and every piece, before moving with trailing shadows towards Toph.

"That's right, pal, come and get it."

The blades moved like fans, twirling expertly between the long, clawed fingers the Stranger had sprouted in its transformation. It was hard for anyone to see his movements, merely the after-images that it left behind in the inky blackness. Toph didn't need to see. She simply needed to feel.

The glass made it more difficult, but she counted the times she felt it vibrate, and she waited until feet sent finer, distinguishable vibratios across the asteroid's cold ground before she acted. A sharp piece of earth jutted up under her feet, tearing through one of the Stranger's arms. With a liquid sound, it cut a line through and severed it from the rest of the body. The gout of shadows splurged out momentarily before stopping. The arm wriggled on the floor before rejoining the darkness completely.

"Got you," Toph said. She could feel the Stranger hesitate. The Blue Face screamed out in pain, but the Red Face's scream was one of sheer fury. The heads spun around again, and Red took the lead.

"Watch out, Toph!" Yue cried.

"I'll burn you all to the ground!" The Stranger Zuko's right side sagged, the missing limb leading to it being favored, but the two remaining arms on that side channeled fire and rage. His whole body seemed consumed by the heat and flames, and Toph slowly backed away.

Like two dragons, the fires arced off of the other-Zuko and spun around the room. Azula hit the ground hard as the force of the blasts knocked her onto the glass. She looked up and saw the others similarly jostled about as the other-Zuko sagged his shoulders. The head changed to the white face.

The faces all shut their eyes, serenity filled the White Face's expression even as painful distortions ripped across the Stranger's body. His body arced its back in excruciating pain as a new arm ripped out of the hole left behind by the other. It was longer, ganglier, but it looked all the more menacing for the replacement. The Blue Face took the lead again, examining its new arm and appraising it before pulling a sword out of the shadows and twirling it around.

"It just regenerated completely," Yue said, "The white side must be able to heal wounds the body sustains."

"Not all wounds," Azula said. "Sokka gave him a pretty scar across the face, and that's still there."

"Duh, the masks are the weak spot," Sokka said. "I think we were all thinking that, Azula. We're not that dumb."

The blades twirled in a large flourish. He was taunting them, wanting them to come at him with everything they had, and no doubt confident that he'd be able take it. Azula had her doubts about that, but it seemed Sokka'd already taken the bait. "You idiot, you're playing right into his hand!"

"No, I'm - not!" He stopped suddenly. "Katara, now!"

"Got it!" She rushed up behind Sokka and set herself into the octopus stance, letting each tendril come out and attack in rapid succesion. The blades collided with the attacks, severing one while blocking another, matching blows for blows while Sokka turned on his heels and rolled to the side.

The Red Head seemed to growl as Sokka steadied his arm and made his attack. The Blue Face's red pupils turned in time to catch the attack, an arm moving to parry, when a tendril of water pushed it down. Sokka slashed in a small arc across the same length as his first strike.

"Got him!" Sokka said, pumping his fists as the shadows gushed out of the wound. The Red Face took to the front as the Blue Face's eyes faded into the black, and growled.

"Good one, Sokka!" Yue cheered, "Just two more to go."

The Red Face screamed out in inarticulately, then, with a heaving sigh, "Watch your hopes for victory vanish as I turn your world upside-down!"

The room rumbled ominously, and Azula felt her feet leave the ground. "Not again," she moaned quietly. Paintings and a small table with a calligraphy set atop it, as well as a collection of sculpted busts of, not surprisingly, the Spirit Blue floated up; anything that wasn't nailed down left the ground. The Red Face seethed in rage, his rage becoming heat and the heat becoming flame. He cast it off in a large wave, and everything, and everyone, went flying.

"Ugh, I got ashes in my mouth," Sokka said, between rubbing his tongue clean and spitting.

"Be thankful he's only used his Firebending in such unfocused waves," Azula said, the irritation written all over her face as she wafted past him, upside-down, "If he were focused, we wouldn't be here talking about ashes - we'd be the ashes."

"Oh, thanks for that sombre thought, milady," Sokka retorted, "Can we focus on not getting picked off one by one and not on how wonderful Firebending is?"

"An excellent suggestion," Azula answered, "We need to destroy the red face, now."

"Okay, angry face, got it."

"Perfect. Oh, ink blot."

"Ink blot?" Sokka asked, confused by Azula's sudden interest in psychology until he turned around and saw a slow moving cloud of ink coming in his direction. It was hard to make out in the shadows cast by the ensuing novas. "Gah!"

"This place is a mess!"

"And I can't see a thing!" Toph complained.

"Yes, that too. Azula, what do we do?" Katara asked. Azula grabbed hold of one of the hanging stalactites and closed her eyes. "Well?"

"I think we should improvise. Does that cloud of ink give you any ideas?" Azula said, her eyes opening and her expression turning smug.

"I think so?" Katara sounded uncertain. Unsurprising to Azula, but there was a sound like something dawned on her. "Oh, okay. I think I see what you're saying.":

"Wonderful, since I'm out of water," Azula said. She kicked off the stalactite just in time to avoid a column of flame. The Stranger was on the move. He moved through the zero-gravity sanctum like a fish in water. Every movement swift, no motion wasted. The flames encircled him again and he spun around, a spiral of fire erupting from one of his many fists, and from another came a large blast that traveled towards Toph with a terrible speed.

Azula blasted aside the spiral with a gust of wind, but she couldn't stop the blast. Her warnings shouted too late, Toph only vaguely became aware of the fire before it connected, shouting in pain as the blast collided with her. "Toph!" Katara cried. Her clothes were singed, but she seemed to have only a few minor burns.

"Katara, focus on him, now," Azula said, "She'll be fine."

"She's hurt and you want me to ignore her?" Katara shouted, her voice raised in anger.

"If you wish to put it so bluntly, yes."

"Give me one good reason."

"Because she, and all of us, are going to be a lot more than singed if we don't stop him from Firebending."

"She's right, Katara." Sokka pushed himself down to Toph, "I'll make sure she's okay. You and Azula have the best shot of taking this guy down right now."

"Fine." She flung the cap of the water bottle off and forced the water out. It hovered in the zero-gravity like a large bubble. Just as she'd expected. "Azula, catch!"

She bended some of the water into a ball and with a flick of the wrist sent it flying towards Azula. She managed to swing around and catch it, the globule swinging around her back and then to her front before expanding into a large bubble of water. "Thanks," Azula answered.

"Water's not going to help you. My rage burns hotter than any sun!" Zuko's other self screamed. His hands moved in a confusing dance, and flames danced between his fingers. Arms crossed, then another set thrust out. The result: large, complex streams of flames shot forth from the Red Faced Stranger. Azula frowned, the way they moved made it difficult to predict. She choose to strike back,

She knew Firebending well. She was well acquainted with the inner workings of the artist bending the flames but she was not familiar with whatever it was this other-self was doing. She knew Firebending to be a matter of discipline, perfection. Her brother? No, he chose to focus his rage and make it useful. Commendable, if ultimately futile. it stifled his growth as an artist, and would one day lead to his downfall.

Azula hoped today would be that day. Waterbending was another beast entirely, an entirely alien series of procedures that acted more like a dance than a battle. Respect and humility were never things she put much stock in. Still, humbly, she respected the water to act as her shield and then, her lance. The heat of the flames was intense and she could feel it evaporating what little water Katara had lent her, but at the same time, she was confident it would hold.

It would hold because she trusted it to, which was about as foreign an idea as any that had entered her head since she came to the labyrinth. There was little comfort in Waterbending, the very act of doing so left her in an unfamiliar place. But she couldn't deny she needed it right now.

Rarely in her life had trust been rewarded. Today, she noted the exception. The water was boiling, but it was not broken, and it would cool, slowly, but surely turning to ice. She felt more comfortable with ice than the liquid stage, after all. Ice was rigid and ice would follow her instructions to the letter without any of the little surprises a Waterbender was trained to expect.

Katara chose a different method. She let the water surge forward still liquid, and with no signs of it freezing. The two attacks came at Zuko's imposter at the same time. His dao blades sliced through the ice lance, splitting it into tiny pieces before it shattered on the ground, The burst of water Katara sent out merely flowed around the blades.

Katara was a master, after all. She was, much as the sentiment burned her up inside, better than Azula in this regard. In many regards, some would say, but this one most of all. The way she controlled the water, her entire focus on it, looked as elegant as any dancer. She faced the fiery heat of the Red Face Mask and didn't break a sweat. She moved and the water with her around the complex counter attack. A fireball would be absorbed by a freezing globule of water, melting the ice as it extinguished, the droplets rejoining the whole. Whenever a stray gout of flame got past her assault, she dodged it with a push off the wall, but her concentration never strayed.

"Amazing, Katara," Yue breathed.

"Stand still so I can incinerate you!" Zuko's other-self's temper seemed almost cartoonish and hyperbolic, but somehow, Azula found a bit of humor in how like him it all was.

"Only if you stand still so I can get a clear shot at you," Katara retorted though her mind was clearly elsewhere.

"How about you both stand still and have an old fashioned showdown?"

"How about you shut up, Sokka, before you give him ideas," Katara retorted.

"I'm just saying."

The complexity of the dancing flames and the flow of water made for an almost beautiful sight. The two elements seemed to match blow for blow, move for move, like some kind of bizarre choreography.

Zuko's Stranger moved through the circling water, a trail of fire and shadows at his heel as he moved to position himself outside the spinning globules. Azula frowned. Whatever he was going to do looked like it would be devastating. The fires on his finger tips, the flames that danced on the edge of his blade, and the heat that he emitted from his eyes made her hair stand on end. Katara wouldn't be able to dodge this, she could already see that.

If Katara did, she made no movement to stop. The water surged through the zero-gravity, pulling along each bubbly globe at Katara's command. Azula eyed the floatig bits of debris and an idea formed.

"Yue, help me distract him," she said, grabbing a bust.

"Me? But, how?"

"Follow my lead," she said. She pushed the bust at the Stranger's head. It hit with a loud bonk, and stray flames flared up and died on his fingers. Yue's eyes widened like saucers, and reached for a nearby table.

Though he seemed momentarily distracted, the actions only seemed to fuel the flames. "This isn't working," Yue called.

"It's bought Katara some time," Azula answered. Then she spotted something else and grinned, "And I'm going to give her the opportunity she needs." She kicked over to another hanging stalactite and grabbed hold of it. She could see what she was looking for floating innocuously through the air.

Her brother's other-self really should remember to cap his inkwells, she thought, bending the ink like it were water. At the very least, this distraction would prove too much to ignore. The ink followed her commands and rained down on the mask.

It wasn't enough to even register at first, but when the whole of the dark sludge came down on his face, the other Zuko reeled back. The flames dispersed, and two sets of hands hurriedly worked to clean the substance from his eyes. "Katara, take your shot now!" Yue said, "He's wide open!"

"Right, Yue, I see it." She smiled, "Thanks Azula."

"No problem."

Katara wasted no time. The water surged forward again, this time its target was unable to move or respond. "Here!" Katara shouted, "Let me help you with that!" The water hit the mask hard and kept coming, freezing over as it did. Cracks formed in the red mask, and the scream of agony from the White Face coincided with the gravity returning to the room.

"He must have needed to concentrate to keep us afloat," Yue observed. Azula was less than pleased. She landed in an undignified pile, alongside Katara and Yue. She cast a look over at Toph and Sokka.

"You guys all right?" Katara asked.

"Ow, just a little burn."

"Katara, tend to that. We'll deal with the last one," Azula said. Logically this should be simple. A non-violent face so far, after all, would be defenseless without the two guardian masks. However, Azula wasn't willing to risk that being true. "Be ready for anything."

"You - how dare you!" the last face said. The hauntingly familiar face stirring something deep inside of Azula. "I'll make sure you feel every bit of that!"

The lights in the room shifted from blue and red to a stark white. Everyone looked ghostlike, everything a stark contrast between black and white. The swords caught her reflection. It was unusual, she supposed, to see yourself looking so much like the dead, especially since she had practically been among them.

Azula reached for her gun. A menacing click, and the image of herself in the reflection on the blades pointing that gun at a familiar face, one she hadn't seen in so many years. He was testing her.

"You wouldn't shoot me, would you?"

It wasn't Zuko's voice, and it was no taunting question. She saw her in the reflection - she looked like a ghost, and that's all she was, after all. Azula felt her finger on the trigger, but she couldn't seem to pull it. She couldn't hear anyone else, she couldn't see anyone else anymore, all that mattered was the woman in the reflection.

"I never meant to hurt you, Azula."

"Lies," Azula said. "You - you -"

"I always loved you, Azula. How could I not?"

"More lies. You're not real. You're just a trick. He's trying to trick me into - I have to -" It was funny how logically she knew what was going on. Cold logic dictated quite clearly that none of this was real. Her mother wasn't with them anymore, and even if she was, she wouldn't be here. This was one of Zuko's tricks - his counterpart's, anyway.

But try as she might, she couldn't shake the emotional side of it. This was her mother's face, her mother's voice - she didn't know how she felt about any of it, but it stayed her hand and that counted for something, didn't it?

Cold logic faced down emotion.

"Since it's you," Azula said, her voice level, "I'll say a prayer for your memory."

She pulled the trigger.

The scream of anguish wasn't her mother's. She felt a chill run down her spine as she loosened up. Whatever trace amount of doubt was gone, and what remained was the sight of the shadows dispersing and the lights flickering back to life.

"What just happened -" Toph sounded dazed and, Azula smirked, she couldn't exactly be blamed. It seemed whatever had happened, the other face had done the same to the otthers. Only Azula seemed able to act.

Of course, she wasn't exactly proud of that. She'd leave that one alone unless asked. The more important question was Zuko.

He was stirring, and Yue rushed to help him up. With a dopey expression on his face, he stared around at everyone, and then slapped his head. "I did it, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you sure did," Sokka said. "Don't worry. It happens to the best of us. By which I mean me."

"Whatever," Zuko said. "My head's killing me. I don't really remember what happened but - you guys came for me?

"You may be a jerk," Katara said, a warm smile on her face, "But you're our jerk. Don't forget that next time."

"I'll try not to." He looked over at Azula, his expression turning to one riddled by guilt. "I'm sorry, Azula."

"What?"

"I shouldn't have lost my temper, I shouldn't have -"

"What's done is done. If you think I can't take one of your weakling punches, you're sadly mistaken." She rolled her eyes. No sappy family moments, noot with them, she vowed. At least for the time being.

"Yeah, I guess I was." He shook his head. "For the first time in a long while I feel like I can think straight."

"Welcome to the club, Zuzu!" Toph said. "Bet you can firebend now and everything."

He ignited a spark on the palm of his hand, and smirked, "Yeah. Can't believe how good it feels to finally get that back." He threw a glance over at the center of the room where the Spirit Blue had appeared. He watched Zuko silently, but expectantly. "Well, guess there's nothing for it - I've got to face myself."

He walked up to the doppelganger and appraised him. "I used to dream of being a hero like that, didn't I, Azula?"

"It was adorably pathetic."

He smirked, "No kidding. Good and evil isn't exactly easy to tell apart most of the time. Can't just put on a costume and be a hero, you've got to earn it. All this time, I've been angry at myself because I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not. I was afraid, too. Afraid I'd end up like my father."

"See, daddy issues," Sokka piped in. Toph swiftly silenced him with a punch to the stomach.

"But I'm not the man my father wanted me to be, or even the boy my mother tried to protect. I've got to be my own man now. Growing up and leaving that behind isn't easy, but, it's time."

The Spirit Blue nodded, vanishing into nothingness the same as the others before him. Zuko looked back at the others. "I - I've got a lot to apologize for, don't I?"

"Nah," Toph said, "We got to kick your butt pretty fierce, so I think we're even now."

"I totally sworded you in the face."

"That's not a word, Sokka."

"I don't care, Azula, I totally did."

Azula shook her head slowly. "It's about time we get moving. Yue, do you see a way out of here?"

"Um." She pointed. Everyone followed her finger to the glass surface in the floor. "There."

"I meant a door back to the maze." Azula sighed and shook her head. She didn't have time for everyone deciding to become comedians.

"So did I."

"Huh?" Katara felt around the glass and then gasped in astonishment. "There's a trap door," she said, pulling a nearly invisible handle and revealing a stairwell. "But, this leads out into space -"

"With the Stranger quelled, these mazes seem to open up a way out of them," Yue said, "It was probably not there before, but now that Zuko is back, it's appeared."

"These mazes are weird," Sokka said. "I don't even want to think about what kind of maze Azula's made up for us."

"What makes you think I have."

"Let's just leave the possibility up there, that way instead of being shocked by finding you have one, we can be pleasantly surprised that you don't," Sokka said in saccharine sarcasm. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Whatever makes you happy, Sokka. That is my only desire," she mocking said. "I am but your loyal servant."

"That's more like it. Now fetch me some seal jerky."

"Guys?" Katara poked her head up from the trap door, "Are you coming or not?"

"Coming, coming."

The stairwell was long, but the cosmos that seemed to push itself aside for them soon faded and was replaced by familiar grey walls. The monolithic Labyrinth of Lethe lay out in front of them. The only lights came from burning blue flames held by distorted statues.

"Guys."

Katara looked around the group. Something was off. "What is it, Katara?" Toph asked, tiredly. "We need to get Zuko someplace to crash before he goes all comatose on us."

"I'll be fine," Zuko grunted. "I'm sure Azula wants us to get moving right away."

There was no answer. "I don't think Azula's here."

"What do you mean, you don't think Azula's here? She was right behind me," Sokka said. He turned around. There were no stairs back up. He'd have been surprised if he didn't already expect it. "But I could have sworn."

"Me too," Zuko said. "I saw her when we were climbing down."

"We need to find her!" Katara said. "Yue, do you sense her?"

"Not nearby, but I'll try -"

"Okay, the rest of us will look around. Don't go too far." Katara kept a calm face on despite the concern evident in her voice. "This maze is trying to separate us again and I'm not going to let it. We've come too far to get lost now."

"- I've found her. She's still inside the maze, but she's very far away. We'll need to hurry."

"Why?"

"Because something is heading right for her."

"What sort of something?" Sokka asked, hopefully, "Like, the Winter Solstice Fairy Bringing Her Presents something or Unspeakable Horror from Beyond the Furthest Ring something?"

"Um. I think the latter."

"That's what I was afraid of. And just out of morbid curiosity, where in the maze exactly is she?"

"I'm not sure," Yue said, "It's hard to get a full sense of the maze, but if I were to make an educated guess -"

"She's at the center isn't she?" Toph asked. "That's why you're saying everything so slowly like you don't want to say it."

"Yes." Yue's voice was very tiny.

"Let's move. We had to go there anyway," Zuko said. "I'll be fine. Just don't expect me to be able to fight off anymore of those big spirits." He rubbed his head and smiled the best he could. They took a moment to collect themselves, and then walked forward towards the center of the maze.

* * *

"Azula."

Her head was killing her.

"It's been a long time since we've met face to face like this. Do you remember what we spoke about then?"

She couldn't find the words to respond. When she tried, she felt a sudden sickness in her stomach and a desire to expunge whatever it was that caused it.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you've had so much to do. We've spoken so many times since then, haven't we? Since it's you, you probably already figured out that I wasn't really there. I've been here the whole time, waiting for you in the center of the Labyrinth of Lethe. I've been waiting for you to come and free me."

The girl laughed.

"It's pretty cruel of me to ask if you remember, isn't it? I've asked you to remember so much even though all you want to do is forget. That's why you made this place, you know - to forget everything."

Azula opened her eyes. Where was she?

"Oh, you haven't left the Labyrinth. Actually, you've never left it since you entered. All of those different worlds are merely fragments of the maze that your so-called friends helped build for you. As to where exactly you are? Well, that's more complicated than that."

She could see red as far as she could see. Everything was covered in that sickly, anemic red. The rubble, the buildings, the street lights that were bent and torn out of the ground - all the color of fire and blood.

"Do you recognize it? I think you should. We're right outside your dorm - what's left of it anyway." Azula turned around. It was definitely the dorm building, but it looked more like a burnt out husk. Everything looked like it had been razed in some manner of terrible holocaust. Azula coughed, viciously, her voice returning slowly, weakly at first, but with growing strength.

"We're in Ba Sing Se?" Azula could hardly believe what she was seeing. "But what happened?"

"I told you, we're inside the Labyrinth of Lethe where I've been trapped this whole time waiting for you!" Xiao seemed impatient, even anxious. Something was off about her, but then again, that was always the case. The way she looked so familiar, especially, but only a passing resemblence to someone she knew. "But now you're locked up in here with me. But it's okay, since it's you, you can get us both out."

"How?"

"You'll see!" Xiao promised. She took Azula's hand and dragged her down the ruined streets, towards the shapes on the horizon that looked like skeletal shapes against the hazy red sky.

_...I found myself inside Xiao's prison with no memory of how I got there, or why I'd even gotten separated from the others at all. It was like some kind of nightmare world, where everything was dead and burnt out. I could hardly imagine what could have caused such devastation._

_I don't think I quite recovered from the battle with Zuko's other self. The Strangers we found, strange doppelgangers that they were, always stirred up some sort of dark, musty feelings whenever we fought them, but this time, it was all too personal. I couldn't sort out how I felt. I don't think I ever will._

_But all the same, with this lingering sense of doubt in my heart, I ventured forward into the Dragon's Den - the _Magatsu Ba Sing Se_ that lurked at the center of the maze al along._

_To be continued..._


	25. She's Not a Girl Who Misses Much

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games. Some scenes inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki._

_"Itsu kara yumemiru koto wasureta furi wo shitetandarou..."_

_(How long have I been pretending that I've forgotten how to dream?)_

_- Found Me_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 24: **_She's Not a Girl Who Misses Much_

The shattered husk of Ba Sing Se seemed to stretch as far as she could see. She stared up into a lifeless sky. No cloud dimmed the sweltering heat of a relentless red eyed sun that painted the rest of the sky a hazy, bloody color. The streets were covered in ash and soot, and the only signs of life were the burnt out remains of old cars. They seemed to have been abandoned, forgotten at the traffic lights.

And Azula was alone in this world with Xiao. The young girl carried herself with an almost exaggerated excitement. She clearly counted the days until this moment, spending every waking moment anticipating how she would spend this time with Azula. The girl positively worshipped the ground Azula walked on.

Even with that company, Azula's thoughts seemed preoccupied on the others. Their vanishing act was not amusing, and if was almost hurtful; not that she'd admit that.

"You should forget about them. They are not coming to rescue you, Azula. We've got to get out of here by ourselves."

It had been disturbing at first, but now she viewed it as a normal occurence: Xiao seemed to be able to interpret just what she was thinking. The girl seemed keen to please and seemed interested in Azula to the point of unhealthy obsession, so Azula assumed it was mrely a side-effect of watching her for so long. Either that, or Xiao's talk about a special connection that bound them was not quite as far-fetched as it first sounded.

"They still should have said they were going on without me."

Xiao asked, with a little trepidation, "Do you miss them?" She looked scandalized by the idea. She'd made it quite clear that Azula didn't need friends because Azula was capable and smart and cool enough to handle things on her own. The compliments aside, the whole point left Azula confused.

"I only meant that it's unlike them. It hardly matters to me one way or another. After all, I have the Avatar Spirit inside me now," Azula said, "The rest of them are merely redundancies."

"That's good!" Xiao answered. She took Azula's hand again, she'd let go once they reached the long street since she said they wouldn't get lost there, and pointed at the large pile-up that left the road blocked off. "Silly, isn't it? People are _so _dumb, don't you agree?"

"Isn't all of this merely a construction of the maze?" Azula asked.

"That's probably true. It wasn't like this until you all came into the maze. It used to be just black. You remember, don't you? How we first met?" There was a long silence, and Xiao had the decency to look ashamed. "Oh, that's right. You don't remember much, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"You answered really fast," Xiao said. "Are you sure you don't remember?"

"The state of my memory is unrelated to anything. It's probably a result of my time spent as a vegetable in that abhorrent hospital. I've never liked them. They're disease festering wastes of space."

"Yeah! Hospitals suck!" XIao agreed eagerly. She did that whenever Azula offered a sentiment that she could get behind like that. Sometimes, Azula wondered if it was something she truly agreed with, or she'd simply taken up since Azula mentioned it. The girl's constant 'Since it's you' responses had come fast and furious when they first met, but they'd died down to a trickle.

There was only so many times someone could make exceptions for her, it seemed. Xiao recollected her thoughts, and continued, "Anyway, what I meant to ask was, do you remember how I told you that the end was coming?"

"What's your point?" Azula asked, ire raised. The girl was speaking in riddles. "What is this about an end? And you never explained how you became trapped here."

"It'll become clear soon," Xiao said, her mysterious smile growing wider. There was always something unsettling about the way the girl smiled. She'd seen that smile before, especially on the faces of predators right before they devoured their prey. "But I thought I'd remind you. The End I'm speaking of is known by The Unification by some. It signifies not only an end, but a beginning."

"I've heard about the Unification," Azula answered, curtly, "I also heard that it was stopped by Aang."

"The Avatar didn't stop the Unification from happening, but he did postpone it. And now, the time he's won for everyone has almost run out. I thought you would be excited. I guess you don't remember, but you were really excited about the Unification. You said it would make a new frontier that only Benders could explore."

"I don't remember that at all," Azula said, "But Aang - he gave up everything to stop it. You mean to tell me his victory only won us a few short months?"

"That's right!" Xiao said. "Why do you sound so angry?"

Azula took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. She didn't know why she was so angry. It was the idea that Aang was lying a vegetable on some hospital bed that just brought the bile up her throat. The fool had clearly not seen everything through, and now he would just lie there while all of his work was undone.

"Do you miss Aang?"

The question hit her straight between the eyes, and she grabbed her hand back from the young girl with such force that Xiao fell to the ground. The unmitigated gall of the girl to ask such a frivolous question. "What makes you think I miss that thorn in my side?"

"I don't know," Xiao said, suspiciously. "It was like you were getting sad just thinking about him. So you don't miss him?"

"Perish the thought," Azula said dryly. She didn't want to spend any longer dwelling on the last Avatar. It made her forehead ache.

"Did you love him?"

Azula narrowed her eyes and focused her attention square on the little girl. She seemed to be utterly too precocious for her own liking, poking and prodding at things that Azula would much rather be left alone. Her feelings on the matter were irrelevent. "No."

"I think you did."

"I think you're mistaken."

"Since it's you," Xiao said, "I'll believe you. But you shouldn't let things like that fester, or so I'm told. It can become very ugly. After all, who knows what'll happen to all those repressed feelings inside this maze!"

"I am not repressing anything."

"Besides, we have to hurry if we want to get out of here! Come along, hurry, we don't have time! The first gate's this way!" She took Azula's hand again and tugged her along after. They had turned off the main street into an smaller avenue filled with office buildings, only now those buildings were empty. They were burnt out like a bomb had gone off inside, leaving behind a field of shattered glass on the streets below. A desk was dangling dangerously over the edge of the window, alongside frazzled remains of some wires.

"What a cheerful place," Azula murmured sarcastically.

Xiao smiled cheekily. "It is a bit red, don't you think?"

"Never let it be said you have no gift for understatement," Azula retorted. She didn't look remotely amused with the attempt at humor. "Where are we even headed?"

"The Ba Sing Se Shopping Center," XIao answered. "That's where the gate is. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, though, since I'm with you!"

"What exactly is this gate?" Azula asked. "I don't believe I've encountered any barricades like that inside the rest of the maze. Why here?"

"You don't know?" Xiao asked. She seemed positively impish. Before Azula could push the point, she jumped to a new topic. "Anyway. Aren't I much better company than any of those so-called friends of yours?"

"I suppose"

"See? This will go along wonderfully," Xiao said, conversationally. It didn't seem quite so cut and dry to Azula, however. There was something about this whole situation that nagged at her, though what precisely it was, she wasn't quite ready to say.

"So, why are there gates here?"

"Oh, that's easy. To keep things in." She said it like it should have been clear. It was, perhaps, but it didn't answer what precisely that was. "Anyway, it's keeping me in here, isn't it? Don't you want me to be free?"

"Regardless, I need to know exactly what I'm going to be dealing with, Xiao. If you know anything, it may mean the difference between life and death if you inform me."

"Will it?" She tapped her finger against her chin. Once again, she resembled some sort of feline. Azula could see exactly what the girl was doing. After all, she'd done it herself many times, and was quite capable of picking up when others tried to do the same to her.

"Stop playing coy," Azula said. "You know something, but what I don't understand is why you're keeping it secret from me."

Xiao had the decency to look apologetic. "Please understand," she cried plaintively, "I'm only worried you'll get upset."

"I'm quite upset already," Azula retorted. "I doubt you can make it any worse."

"There's just the matter of the guardians," she said. Azula heard something snap inside her head. Somehow, Xiao had managed to make it much, much worse. The little girl shrunk back at Azula's intimidating aura.

"The five gates are guarded by a powerful spirit," Xiao said hurriedly, probably spurred by the sudden shift in Azula's posture from one of idle irritation to full-out aggression. "The first one's going to be no trouble for you, though!"

"And the rest?"

"I bet they'll fall just as easily."

"We haven't even faced a single one."

"That's true, but I'm sure."

"_Since it's me_, right?"

"Yes, since it's you!"

Azula sighed. Her posture relaxed, and Xiao exhaled a breath of relief. The little girl quickly began to tug on Azula's arm, urging her forward, "So come on, let's go fight him and win!" she said, and Azula allowed herself to be led. Whatever measure of concern Xiao's talk of guardians had given Azula, she knew she could handle it. All the same, she wondered where the others had gone, and why they'd chosen to leave her behind.

* * *

They came to a point where the grey stone walls stopped. It was dark and the braziers had long since vanished from the statues' hands, the only light they could see was a faint glimmering in the distance, and a vague awareness that the passage grew tighter as they walked.

Yue took to the lead. Her radiance provided only a small field of vision, and when it caught the shadow of one of the defaced statues, it caused Sokka to let loose a yelp. Toph was beginning to get irritable, and Zuko doubly so, fighting back exhaustion for the sake of continuing forward. Azula was missing, and that was the only thing any of them needed to keep focused.

"This place gives me the creeps," Katara said. "Who would build something like this in the first place?"

"Not any human I've met," Sokka said, "Hey, Yue, do you think some spirit's behind this somehow."

"Why would a spirit build a maze in your dormitory basement?" Yue wondered, aloud. Sokka wasn't sure what stung more: that she shot down his idea or she seemed blissfully unaware that she did. "Anyway, I doubt anyone decided to build it at all."

"You think it's like those other mazes we went through?" Katara asked. Yue nodded. "That makes sense. So does that mean what I think it means?"

"I'm not sure of that," Yue answered, smiling, "But if it is Azula's - then doesn't that answer a lot of questions."

"Look, let's not jump to conclusions," Sokka said.

"Are we getting jealous?"

"No! Nothing of the sort!" he protested, loudly. He was probably blushing, though if Toph knew, she wasn't saying. "Besides, that doesn't answer the question of who or what that thing pretending to be Aang is, for one thing."

Katara fell quiet, and didn't respond. Sokka left it at that, and the group carried on wordlessly. The boy who was made of shadows, the one who looked like Aang, she couldn't help but feel hopeful that he was the real thing. It was only natural, wasn't it? But in the end, he turned out to be nothing but a false hope.

She was disappointed, but mostly worried. They hadn't found time to exchange this new information with Azula, and she wasn't sure how the girl would react. Katara got to say goodbye, even through the confusion. She'd gotten to say what she should have figured out sooner, but at least it was said.

Azula never had that chance, and she would never have that chance.

"Where are we even going?"

"I think we're going towards that shiny thingie in the distance," Sokka said, "Unless you've got a better idea."

"It looks like a hole," Yue said, when they got a little closer. "Do you think we should climb down there?"

"I don't see any other choice," Zuko grunted, "We've come this far. We either jump down or turn around."

"She's definitely this way," Yue said, "I'm sure I followed the right path." She bit her lip, nervously. "Didn't I? I thought for certain."

"I'm not trying to say you're wrong," Zuko said with a heavy sigh. "I just meant, we don't have any other choices than that. So, anyone against jumping down a shiny hole?"

"Not really," Sokka said, "We've done dumber things than that. Well, I've done dumber things than that at any rate." The hole had been broken through from the other side, and small bits of debris from the wall cluttered around the breach. It was about shoulder height, and it seemed to lead downwards into some sort of catacomb. "Whoa."

"What is it?" Toph asked, impatiently, "Are we going or what?"

"No, it's just - this place is weird." He shrugged. No reason not to hop right in, though. As far as he could see, no hideous bugs were waiting to sink their venomous fangs into them. So he dropped down, and landed on an uneven surface. He looked at what he'd landed on. It seemed to be glass. He drew upright immediately, checking his hands for any cuts. Relief set in immediately. His hands seemed perfectly fine. "It's safe, come on down!" he called, and started to look around. The walls, the floor, the curved ceiling, everything seemed to be made out of shattered glass. They seemed to be giving off a faint glow, and when he approached the surface, he could see into it.

He could see a sepia toned world, where people stood frozen in their hurried pace across the winding canals of the Northern Water Tribe city. The indignant grunt Toph made while landing caused him to look back. It seemed the others had made it down. "Hey, check these out," he called over, and the others approached.

"What are you doing?" Zuko wondered, clearly uninterested by the magical mirror glass. Sokka ignored him, moving over to a large, jagged fragment that took up a good portion of the opposite wall.

"These things show pictures. Here, look at this one." He peered at it curiously as the fogged up glass. "Zuko, seriously, check this out. It's Ba Sing Se. I think it's from that fire."

"What fire?"

"You know," Sokka said, "The one you sort of caused. You made a big deal about it, it was all over the news, I think most people got out okay, though. I mean, we just revisited it," Sokka said, "Remember, guys?"

"How could we forget," Katara moaned, "Smog monsters make for the most memorable vacations."

"Ha ha, very funny," he said, "But look. You can see the skyscrapers in the background, and there's the smoke coming off, and I think you can see a tram there."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Zuko said. The others turned and looked at him. He seemed puzzled. "What do you mean, I caused a fire?"

"Zuko, before I joined the club, you quit because of that fire and - some other things," Katara said. "Azula never mentioned you except in passing. It was a few months before I came to the school, but it was big news all over the city."

"I don't remember that at all," Zuko said. He looked at the image etched beneath the glass. "Maybe I'm just more exhausted than I thought." Yue looked nervous, squeaking out something before looking embarassed and clamping a hand over her mouth. "Yue?"

"What's the matter, Snowflake?" Toph asked, "You're breathing a mile a minute."

"I'm just thinking," she said, hesitantly, "Just thinking that it sounds an awful lot like Azula." The others looked at each other, and then back at Zuko. "Zuko, try and remember what happened. It was just before the end of your second year, wasn't it?"

"I think so," Katara said. "Is it coming up black?"

Zuko paused, and then nodded slowly. "Just like Azula said - I thought that was because she was in that coma -"

"So did I," Sokka said. "Katara, do you remember what happened the night Mom died?"

"What? I - I don't know why that's important?"

"Just yes or no," Sokka said. "And Toph, how about when you started at school, do you remember that?"

Toph looked rather perplexed, and so did Katara, but their perplexion turned pale and they both slowly shook their heads. "Coming up black, huh?" Zuko said. "Then I think I know what these things are."

"Yeah, that makes sense. I don't know how it's possible, but it makes sense."

"Then Azula -"

"Yeah, probably her memories are here, too," Sokka said. The two boys exchanged a glance and nodded in concordance. Whatever agreement they'd reached, it only raised Toph's ire. The girl stomped her foot angrily, and shouted.

"What's the big idea?"

"What?"

"Going off talking in half sentences like you know something we don't. Come on, just say it. Where are we?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I think I sort of get what you're getting at," Katara said, "But still, I think maybe we should just get it out plainly and work from there? This puzzle solving is very, very confusing."

"Oh, but few things satisfy like a puzzle solved," Sokka moaned. Zuko rolled his eyes and walked over to another one of the fragments, and stared at the image underneath. "Well, let's see how to put this -"

"These are those shattered memories we went through in everyone's maze," Zuko said, "They're being used to build a passage somewhere."

"Well that's only part of it. No one's memories are that vivid. What I think is those doors to the past went to a collective memory of the period of time we went to. That's why we didn't just see something like in Yomi, but were surrounded in it. It's not just our memories, but everyone's, creating a replica of that point in time."

"What does that even mean?" Toph groaned. "He's talking crazy."

"The collective unconscious," Sokka said, "It's a theory that we're all connected on some unconscious level or something like that. It's complicated, but the basic point is that whatever this labyrinth really is, it's somehow connected to more than just us."

"And all these memories are making the place even bigger, right?" Toph asked. "That's all you had to say, Snoozles."

"But it's so cool!" Sokka protested. "So, Yue, what do you think?"

"I think it's certainly an explanation!" Yue said, cheerfully, "But all the same, we should focus on finding Azula before that strong presence I sense finds her. It's very close, so we should be very careful."

"I say we take it head on!" Toph seemed more than eager to get moving. "Come on, stop gawking and let's go!"

"Right." Sokka fell into step alongside Toph, and the rest followed a few feet behind. "Hey, Yue, do you have any idea who or what you're sensing? Do you think it's - y'know - him?"

"I can't say for certain, but it's certainly a possibility. He seems to be at the center of the mysteries of this maze, doesn't he?"

"The fake Aang?" Katara was hesitant to even bring him up. "But it could just be another one of those masked monsters, right?" Yue nodded, and Katara relaxed. "How do we tell Azula, when we find her, I mean?"

"Why do you care?" Toph asked. "Since when are you two best buds again?"

"We're not! But," Katara sighed. It was hard enough understanding why she felt this way about it in the first place, but she'd never put it to words before. Explaining it was going to be a monumental task. "I just don't want her to lose hope."

"He really wanted her to just show up out of the blue, didn't he? That day, I mean," Sokka said, slowing to a stop. Toph hung her head down a little. The topic wasn't one they approached often. Speaking about it felt raw, but they continued, regardless of that pain.

"He was always dumb like that."

"Funny," Sokka said, "Reminiscing in a passage of forgotten memories."

"He would have had a blast here," Katara said, "All of us together again, I mean, he would have been really happy, right?"

"Hey," Zuko said, "Don't talk about it like he's dead." He sighed, shook his head, and grinned. "If Azula can pull of a miraculous return, Aang can, too. If we lose hope, then it's all over before it began."

"But it's hard," Sokka moaned.

"If you let grief cloud your judgment, it is," Zuko muttered, "Right now, we've got more important things to worry about. When we get Azula back, we'll tell her all we've figured out. She's stronger than she was before, she can take it."

"Doesn't make it any less cruel," Katara protested. Zuko shrugged.

"Sometimes life is cruel."

"Most of the time," Katara answered, hanging her head. Zuko grunted, but didn't argue the point. The rest of the walk was quiet. They were all too lost in their heads to hold a conversation. Yue, especially, seemed troubled. The presence was growing closer and as they got closer, the more dreadful it seemed to her.

And then there it was, only feet in front of her. And it was waiting. Its eyes, the terrible chill of the blue glow staring straight into her. She'd been sensed, just as she had sensed him. Enshrouded in shadows, the figure seemed to be Aang but for the terrible expression he wore. The others were too stunned to react, they just stared right back.

"You," Yue stuttered, "Who are you?"

The boy in shadows didn't answer. Instead he raised his hand, extended it in front of him, and the blue light of his eyes became blinding. There was a sensation of force, not like a blow but more of a push, and she found herself losing her footing and landing unceremoniously on her back. She could hear the others groan and grunt, and when her eyes finally adjusted, she could see they were strewn about the floor just like her.

"What did he just do?" Zuko asked, trying to climb to his feet. He winced as the boy's extended hand turned to him and he felt a shadow fall on him. He tried to speak, but for some reason, he couldn't. He couldn't even breathe.

"Zuko!" Katara called out. She whipped out a tendril of water, lashing it against the boy's hand. The boy pulled his hand back from the strike, and Zuko fell to the ground in a heap. Its eyes focused on her. "Why is it attacking us now?"

"Either it doesn't want us following him anymore, or we've already served our purpose," Zuko said, rubbing his neck, "One of the two."

"Either way, I don't want to find out!" Sokka said, jumping to his feet and charging at the boy. His meteor sword connected with the boy's hand and the limb fell to the ground limply before dissolving. The boy just stared at him with empty eyes.

It creeped Sokka out more than anything. He brought his sword around for another strike, lunging clean through the boy's stomach. He could see the sword impale the creature cleanly, but the boy continued to stare, unaffected.

Already, it seemed to have replaced the hand it lost. and it put that hand to Sokka's blade. He couldn't remove the blade. He'd either have to remove it, which he was reluctant to do after what he went through to get it back the first time, or find some way to make him let go. "You suck," he muttered.

The boy's eyes flashed. And the blue glow turned a menacing red. Sokka's face fell as a low rumble vibrated through his blade and from under his feet. "What did you just do?"

He heard Yue scream and turned around. The fragments under her feet gave way, He saw Katara reach out to grab her, but she stopped, her hand jerking back suddenly as she was sent hurling into the opposite wall. The surface shuddered under the force.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted, as the rest of the floor began to crumble and give way. He looked at the widening chasm between himself and the others. He released his grip on the blade, only to find the boy's hand clasp it down tight. "Let go!"

Zuko rushed at the boy, red flames bursting from his finger tips as he ran, only to find himself pushed back like he'd hit a wall. The ground underneath him shuddered and gave way, and he grabbed hold desperately. Toph reached to pull him up only to be knocked back by another quake. The boy watched them struggle without a trace of amusement on his face.

His eyes wide as Zuko's fingers slipped and he disappeared into the nothingness beneath. "Zuko!" Toph called. Upon receiving no answer, she tried again, her voice confused, a little frightened, "Come on, Zuko, where are you?"

Katara could still be seen struggling against some force that pushed her against the wall. The boy watched her with a blank expression. She squirmed underneath it, coughing as it pressed down on her stomach. "Let go of her!" Sokka demanded. The boy turned and looked at him, his blank expression seemed curious at his outburst. He struggled against the boy's vice grip. "And while you're at it, let go of me!"

The boy cocked his head to the side and then turned his head. Katara screamed at the wall shattered and she felt herself fall. Her scream sounded so far away before it vanished. Toph shouted after her, but when she got no response, her helplessness turned to rage. "You - you'll pay for that!" she shouted, charging at the boy. She was ready to sock him right between the eyes when she felt the floor start to give way. "Whoa1'

"Toph, be careful," Sokka said between grunts. "He's too strong!"

"Snoozles, I -" Did he detect a trace of fear in her voice? That made him more nervous than anything. Then again, after what happened, he could certainly sympathize with a little fear. "I don't know what to do."

"Run!" he said.

"You can't be serious!"

The floor underfoot was crumbling fast. She could feel it disintegrating with every step she took. Another backwards step and she could sense it happening on the other end, too. The entire passage was falling to pieces. "There's nowhere _to_ run."

"Well great," Sokka said. "Nice knowing you, Toph."

"That's really filling me with confidence," Toph said, with a bit of a tremble on the edge of her voice. "I'm not ready to die. I haven't punched you enough times!"

"I'm not ready to die either," Sokka said weakly. The boy stared at Toph, the red of his eye seemed hot as the sun. She couldn't tell he was staring at her, but all the same, she felt her stomach churn. "Watch out!"

Toph brought her arms up in front of her face at his warning. Fragments of memories spilled on top of her as the ceiling rained down. The floor rumbled as it fell to pieces, picking up pace. Toph found nowhere to move, the entire passage seemed to close in around her. "Toph!" Sokka called. She let out a high pitch shriek as the last of the memories disintegrated under her feet.

"You -" Sokka stared at the boy with anger in his eyes. The boy seemed to take delight in this. He released his grip and Sokka pulled the sword out. The wound healed almost instanteously, and the boy stood there, just staring at him, with the tiniest of smiles detectable beneath the churning shadows.

Sokka stared at his blade for a moment, and then back at him. "You'll pay for that!" he shouted. The boy didn't step aside as Sokka sliced him clear in half. The form seemed to shift, the shadows melting back together in a sickening, fluid motion, and Sokka, momentum at all, could not stop himself as the floor gave way beneath him. The boy watched him fall, the smile fading from his face.

The red glaze of his eyes faded and he brought up a hand. The fragments of memories emerged from the depths of the abyss, the passageway reasserting itself. Satisfied with the reconstruction, he walked towards the large fragment of memory before him. Placing a hand, he saw the ashen streets of Ba Sing Se. His fingers seemed to pass through the surface with ease, and soon, the rest of him followed.

* * *

She wouldn't consider herself typical. Azula Houou would never deign lower herself to that level. No, she rarely indulged in shopping sprees, and whenever she did go shopping, she limited herself to the bare essentials. Still, she remembered the Ba Sing Se Shopping Center as something a little more grand, and not the hollowed out shell that remained. Half the roof had collapsed in the devastation that had swallowed the city, and the rest of it had been blown clear off.

That left the main court exposed to the harsh red sun, and it became quickly apparent that no plant life existed in this city, not any longer. It all reeked of death and suffering. Azula remained unfazed. "This is where the first gate is?" she asked her companion. The little girl happily nodded. "I don't see any gate."

"Well, you will!" she said. "The only way to the Tram Station is through here. And that's the only way left to safely get further into the city. So, we've got to go through." She seemed surprisingly well informed, Azula said. Suspiciously so, in fact.

"How do you know that if you've never been beyond this gate?" she asked.

"I know this city really well," Xiao answered, "And you get a pretty good view from the dormitory roof. It's not that surprising, Azula! Why? Do you not trust me?"

"No."

"You're mean!" she pouted. Azula shook her head in disapproval, but the girl didn't seem to notice. Instead, she climbed over a pile of rubble and slide down it, waving her arms in an exaggerated show of keeping her balance. "Come on! It's this way!"

"Are you sure that way is safe?":Azula asked.

"Not at all." Azula's humorless look grew more and more tired. The girl laughed. "Well, I don't know for sure, however, if there's one thing I do know, it's that this is the only way in. There's no other. The roads are either completely caved in or all that's left is sewage."

"How delightful."

Xiao giggled in her carefree way, and turned around. "Hurry up, slowpoke. If we don't hurry, we won't ever get out of here. Not until you're old and white!"

The first gate was only a few hundred feet away, and despite Xiao's insistence that it would take a million years, Azula knew it would only be a matter of minutes. She still felt uneasy about the whole situation. Something about it seemed far too convenient, and more than that, all too different than before.

"Why are these gates here again?"

"To keep something in, duh," Xiao said, "Why else would you put gates up."

"To keep something out," Azula said, "Among several other reasons I can think of off the top of my head. You seem awfully evasive about all this, Xiao. You've been keeping secrets, haven't you? And that is something by which I cannot abide."

"Since it's you, I find that funny," Xiao answered without missing a beat.

"Pardon?"

"You're the one who keeps all the secrets - all of them! Besides, don't you always lie?" she asked with an innocent bluntness that took her off guard. Azula frowned, but couldn't think of a retort. The girl just laughed. "It's all right by me, I don't mind. It's just that some things are better if you find out for yourself, aren't they? Oh, you don't even remember, do you. Lethe really did a number on your head!"

She laughed mockingly. Azula could feel her temper bubbling over, but XIao just dismissed it with a wave. "I'm kidding!" she said. "Lethe does that to everyone. Everyone has something they want to forget, right? A paper they didn't do, or something they said, or someone they lost - it's only human."

"If it's all the same, can we focus on the more present threat? What is this guardian?" she asked. Xiao tapped her lips as she pondered, humming to herself thoughtfully. After a moment of her theatrics, she looked as if a light had gone off inside her head.

"It's a Scion. They're not really spirits, but they're close. You'll know it when you see it," she said. "It's really strong, but I'm sure you can beat it. Just be careful, this one is really crafty. It nearly caught me when I wasn't looking once!"

"Wonderful." Azula's mind went to her own thoughts. She sorted out what she knew and what she didn't, and regardless of the danger that she was certain to walk into, she picked up her pace, leaving Xiao behind. She could hear the girl calling out her name, but she didn't stop. Azula could hear Xiao pick up into a run and the sound of her ragged breathing made it clear she had quickly caught up. "Do try and keep up."

"No fair! You've got longer legs than I do."

"No excuses. The only people who make excuses are those who fail. I do not fail, do you?"

"No."

"Then do not make excuses." The mall had gotten considerably closer while they spoke. She could see the broken store windows and the strewn remains of mannequins. They were the closest thing to another human being in the wasteland. The sight of women's torsos in tattered cothing was at the best unseemly, but with the blood red sun shining down on them, it took on a ghastly light.

"This place sucks," Xiao commented. "This is really all that's left. The whole other wing collapsed!"

"This is a disaster."

"Is it?" Xiao asked, blithely. She walked over the collapsed archway and stepped carefully over the tiles, making sure not to touch a crack. Her task was made all the more difficult by how few tiles were left. Whether they'd been blown clear by whatever had destroyed the center, or over time simply eroded and decayed, she couldn't be certain. The rest of the mall wasn't in much better a state.

The splintered benches had been turned into makeshift barricades, and the potted plants had literally been burnt to cinders. Even the water fountains had been affected. They sat stagnant and pungent. "I think I'm glad Katara doesn't have to see this."

"She's such a drama queen, isn't she?" Azula looked over at Xiao.

"How do you know?"

"I told you, I'm always with you, even if you forget about me," she said. "I've seen her. Oh she's so terrible at it, too. She just wants all your sympathy and then some. It's so pathetic.'

Azula bit her tongue. While a part of her agreed with the girl, she could definitely understand Katara's situation. After all that they'd been through in this maze, she could not simply overlook the circumstances. Though she said nothing,, Xiao turned to look at her, her expression critical. "What?"

"Nothing. Anyway, we're about at the gate! Do you know this store?"

"Aunt Wu's. I'm well aware of the fee my credit card racked up here, though for the life of me, I cannot remember if I ever even set foot in this place," she said, bitterly. Katara's frequent sojourns to the fortune teller had become a rather large business expense somewhere down the line. It amazed her how such an independent girl could be so, well, girly.

"Well, the gate's in here!" she said. "The only problem is, so is the guardian." She looked a bit apprehensive.

"And?"

She hesitated for a second, before adding with an apologetic tone, "It may be locked anyway?"

"The gates are locked? Where then is the key?"

"Just because there's a lock doesn't mean there's a key," Xiao said. Azula didn't look impressed. "I'm serious! I don't know!"

"You mean to say I am about to walk into a trap with no guarantee that it will even be worth my time?"

"I'm afraid so!"

She crossed her arms. "This is beginning to sound like something Sokka would come up with. I'm not sure if I am comfortable with this."

"But you must! We've come this far, and there's no way this guardian can defeat you. All you need to do is stop it and I'm sure what ever's holding the door closed will open for us. I'm so certain of it, I haven't been anymore certain of anything in my life!"

She frowned. There was no other way forward. To stop moving would be pointless. She crossed her arms and sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, there isn't any other way. Unless you have been withholding that from me as well."

"I'm sorry! But no, this is the only way, honest!"

Azula let out a low grunt, making her displeasure apparent. "Let's see what sort of guardian this is, anyway." The door, or what remained of it, swung easily off its hinges, and landed in a pile with the rest of the far right wall. She could see into the neighboring store, which has once held musical instruments by the remains of the strings and wooden pipes that sprawled atop the shelves. Azula shook her head. She had to put the destruction out of her mind and proceed forward.

In comparison to the rest of the store, Aunt Wu's remained very much intact. Mirrors lined the walls, alongside other antiques of questionable value. They still were the same marked up pieces of junk that Azula could see, in an instant, for the poor replicas they were. She peeked over the counter into the back room, and saw what looked to be a back entrance. "There," Xiao said, pointing, "That's the first gate."

It seemed to be shrouded in shadow. It reminded her of Aang's dorm room. The door was covered by that same inpenetrable darkness. "It certainly seems sealed," Azula said, "But I don't see any guardian."

"It's around here somewhere," Xiao said in a sing-song voice. She tugged Azula so that her mouth was level to Azula's ear before whispering, "Be careful not to get caught. It likes to play a nasty game of tag."

"What do you mean?" Azula asked. She looked around the store. Nothing but mirrors reflecting mirrors. It was almost obscene how many mirrors Aunt Wu had stocked. For a woman who values the power of mysticism, she put far too much time into maintaining the garish, ornate mirrors. Didn't she know what they said about a mirror capturing a part of one's soul?

She looked at herself in one of the mirrors. Not, of course, that she worried about her soul being trapped in the reflections like some sort of primitive tribeswoman in the days before the grand Fire Nation, but there was always something unnerving about a reflection caught in a reflection. It always seemed like someone was standing right behind her.

She caught a glimpse of movement from behind her and whipped around. Wherever that guardian was hiding, it was certainly good at it. She secretly hoped the thing was a figment of XIao's overactive imagination, but she hardly considered herself that lucky. "What does this Scion look like?"

"It wears a mask," Xiao described vaguely.

"Fantastic. What sort of mask."

Azula peered around the corner, back into the music shop next door, and outside the door. Whatever had moved must have only been a trick of the light. She was getting far too wrapped up in her apprehension.

"Well, it's a big white mask."

"That isn't very helpful."

"It's got a number on it, too."

"Yes, that does seem to be a recurring theme," Azula said. She walked over to the mirror again. Not that she was vain, but presenting oneself as perfect required a lot of care and attention, and she had just not found the time until now.

"And it has a big moon on it."

"A crescent moon, then," Azula said, slowly. Xiao squeaked in affirmation, and Azula slowly turned around. "Around its left eye?"

"Yes, precisely!" Xiao said. Azula stared spellbound at the emptiness behind her. "How did you know?"

"I thought I saw it behind me. It was thin, and far too tall," she said, "I saw it in the doorway, back there, peeking out at me."

"I don't see anything," Xiao said. "But I think you know what I mean by it being crafty."

"I saw it in the reflection," Azula said, slowly, turning around to face the mirror again. She let out a yelp in shock. "Is there- is there something behind me?" she asked, trepidatiously. Xiao looked at Azula curiously, then shook her head.

Long spindly fingers were wrapping around her neck. She could feel the cold touch of the shadow in the mirror, but when she glanced behind her, there was nothing there. Azula backed away, before, without concern for her safety, she smashed the mirror. The feeling subsided, much to her relief.

"What's the matter?"

"It was trying to choke me," she answered breathlessly. She hesitated a moment before peering at the the fragments at her feet. She kicked them around with her toe. There didn't seem to be anything particularly special about the mirror, and despite the fact that she felt its hands around her neck, she couldn't see the creature anywhere.

Something peculiar was going on. "Well, it isn't going to just sit around waiting for you to beat it. It's a guardian, duh, it guards things."

Ignoring Xiao's answer, she looked around the room. Somehow, it appeared in the mirrors but not to her naked eye. She needed to process that information quickly, and peering in paranoia at her every reflection was not helping, not when she caught a glimpse of the gaunt man moving between the reflections. It didn't make any sense.

"Mirrors don't create images, they only reflect things that are there," she said, "Logically this thing doesn't exist."

"Well, I don't know about that," Xiao said, "But maybe it lives inside the mirror!"

"That's preposterous!" Azula retorted. "There's nothing inside a mirror. It's a flat surface, not some sort of reversed facsimile of the world\."

"How do you know that?"

"It's simple scientific fact," she said. Science was quite neat and exact. She quite favored that explanation over imaginary hogwash like a world inside the mirrors.

"If you say so, but your explanation doesn't make sense when you have a scary mirror monster trying to kill you." Azula snorted in response, but her eyes were trained on the image of the thin man. This time, it stood between her and another mirror. Its long fingers seemed to be twirling a jagged piece of a broken mirror with deadly intent. It walked to Azula's side. She could see her reflection and the reflection of her reflection in the mirror.

The tall man, however, cast no reflection on the mirror. Azula's eyes narrowed. "It _is_ inside the mirror."

"Told you!"

"Any suggestions on how to catch it, then?"

"I don't know!"

Azula figured as such. It didn't seem to be restricted to just one mirror, but how it got around was another problem entirely. It either bounced between reflections, or there really was a world inside the mirror that it was traveling in.

The latter explanation left little chance of her affecting it unless she could enter a mirror. This was unlikely at best. However, if it bounced between reflections, it must move like a ray of moonlight, far faster than any eye could see.

That, however, wasn't insurmountable. She had an idea. She just needed to ensure it would work. She looked around the old antique store, and began to list the things she'd need. Then, mindful of her reflection catching in the mirrors hung around the store, she leapt into action.

* * *

"Are you a spirit?"

A quiet voice, full of wonder, pulled Yue from the abyss. Her eyes took a moment to adjust. The world around her felt so real. The breeze caressed her cheek lightly as she came to realize she was under the shade of a tropical tree along the beachside. The summer swelter seemed unbearable, but still, she could see the tourists coming and going from the beach brimming with excitement.

And there was a girl staring at her, curiously studying her every feature with a calculating eye. "Pardon me?" Yue answered. The dizziness she felt was all too apparent in her voice.

"I just thought you looked like a spirit. My uncle tells me they're beautiful, but I don't believe him. He's an old fuddy duddy," the girl said. After a moment, she added, in an altogether too demanding tone, "Do not tell my mother I said that, however."

"Of course not," Yue said. "But, what if I told you I was a spirit?"

"I wouldn't believe you," the girl said, proudly, "I know when adults are humoring kids."

"I'm hardly an adult," Yue protested. Her cheeks flushed red, embarassed by the suggestion. "I'm only sixteen years old."

"You're lying," the girl retorted. "I can tell." Yue looked surprised. "No one seventeen years old would have a full head of white hair, after all." Fully satisfied with her logical inference, the girl nodded to herself. Yue giggled. She was quite cute, with her sharp golden eyes and impressive vocabulary she seemed like a precocious grade schooler. "What's so funny?" the girl snapped.

"I have white hair beause I'm touched by the Moon, not because I'm old," Yue answered, leveling and patiently. The girl seemed incredulous at best, but she did not immediately dismiss the claim. "I'm the Moon Spirit after all."

"A seventeen year old moon spirit? I find that unlikely. After all," the girl said, the evidence seeming all too apparent to her, "The moon's been in the sky for as long as mankind has been around. Are you implying that the moon has been without a spirit for millennia?"

"I didn't say I was the first moon spirit," Yue answered, not deterred by the flurry of evidence the girl heaped upon her. She found it all in good fun. It wasn't often that a debate about atheism popped up between a five year old girl and the Moon Spirit.

"Then what happened to the last one."

"I don't think that's an appropriate area of discussion for you, young lady," Yue said, smiling, "It's far too harrowing and it will give you nightmares."

"I'm not some silly little girl, so don't try that. Don't you know who you're speaking to?" She seemed absolutely appalled by Yue's manners, but the Moon Spirit did not seem to at all mind hers.

"Oh, we haven't been introduced have we. Where are my manners, indeed. I am Yue, the Spirit of the Moon. And you are?"

The girl harrumphed, before kicking up a bit of sand and saying, "Azula Houou, Daughter of Ozai Houou. He's a very important man."

Yue stared at the young girl. Mentall rearranging her face, mentally aging all the freatures until she was certain the girl was not lying. It was amazing she didn't catch it sooner. "Azula. My, aren't you a cute little girl?"

"Don't act like you can treat me like a little kid because I'm small. I'm smarter than you are," she said, sticking her tongue out. "Besides, I still don't believe you're the Moon Spirit. If you're the Moon Spirit, you must have some sort of mystical Spirit Power."

Yue smiled, "I can see the future."

"I don't believe you."

"But it's true. I know, for example, that you have an older brother." She smiled, "He will grow up to be a great President for your family's compay. You'll make the most wonderful friends in High School and you'll have so many grand adventures together. I could go on for hours about them, but I don't think we have the time." Yue shifted to her knees, feeling a little more comfortable under the heat despite the weight of her dress.

"You're making stuff up. I know that for a fact I'm going to be President someday. Daddy said so."

"You don't believe Zuko would make a fine president?"

"I think Zuzu would be as much a fuddy duddy as Uncle. Daddy says I'm so much smarter than Zuzu ever was and ever will be. It just makes sense. I can't wait until I'm the president of the Phoeinx Group. I'm going to be the greatest there ever was."

"It's nice to have dreams, isn't it?" Yue said, smiling. "I'm certain you would make an excellent president. I know for a fact that you have great leadership skills. But it takes more than just being able to tell people what to do to be a real leader."

"I'm good with people. I can tell when they're lying." Yue just smiled at this. Azula did have a knack for telling truth from lie, but it was clear she was still developing that skill. She was precocious, but she was still only five or six. "I know you don't believe me."

"Well, I'm not lying," she said, "I've seen your future."

"Whatever." The girl frowned. "You're a weird old lady." Yue winced at being called old. Apparetly she didn't believe she was seventeen, either. It was certainly a change from the ever perceptive Azula, age sixteen.

"Azula, honey, we're going back to the beach house!"

"Hurry up!"

Two voices, the first patient and pleasant, the other boyish and hurried. The first was a lady Yue didn't recognize, but she figured out who she was almost immediately, because tailing along beside her was a seven year old Zuko, his face without its garish scar. "Oh no, you haven't been having more of your cross-examinations have you?" he asked, absolutely motified.

"Hardly!" Azula protested. It sounded immensely ridiculous coming from the small girl.

"I'm so sorry if she's been a bother," the woman said. "She's just, well, a people person." Yue smiled back at the apologetic woman.

"She's been no trouble whatsoever!"

"I'm so glad. She's a very smart girl, but -"

"Mom, don't talk about me like I can't hear," Azula moaned, childishly. The poor girl looked mortified by her mother's behavior, turning away to ignore the proceedings. "Besides, this lady claims she's a spirit. She's a big old liar."

"She could be a spirit. Spirits are real!":

"Spirits are about as real as bending, which is to say they're fakey fake fake," Azula snidely chided. The two began a shouting match to decide who was right. Ursa, her face a thin mask of patience, just sighed.

"They're good kids, but you know how summer vacation can get, Miss -"

"Yue," she said, "Just Yue will do."

"My, you're certainly humble for a spirit," Ursa laughed. Yue returned the gesture in kind. "Thank you for being so patient with Azula. She's really a nice girl," something in the way she spoke made Yue question if the woman truly believed that, but she didn't press the point.

"She's a very smart girl. I can tell she'll go far."

"I hope so. Her father is pushing her very hard. Sometimes, though, I just wish she would play more than study."

"Mom, Azula's pushing me!"

"I'm so terribly sorry," Ursa said, apologetically bowing her head before turning. "Azula Houou, what did I say about shoving?"

"Not to do it," Azula intoned in a sing-song deadpan. "But he pushed me first!"

"Be careful what you wish for?" Yue suggested. She rose to her feet, feeling the heat of the sand under the soles of her thin slippers. "Oh, Azula, I really must be going, but I had a delightful time speaking with you. It was very nice to meet you and your brother."

"You're going? That's no fun," Azula said. Her mother chastised her quietly. "Good bye, Miss Yue," she said in rehearsed monotone. "It was very nice meeting you."

"Bye, Miss," Zuko said to be polite. Azula took this chance to dig her elbow under his ribs. "Ow! Azula, stop it!"

"Be good, Azula," Yue said, "And don't worry, we'll meet again much sooner than you think."

* * *

She draped an old rug over the large hanging mirror and proceeded to flip as many as she could upside down; Azula had been darting around the room confusing Xiao with her almost erratic actions. Her eyes darted between mirrors, and she moved around in a roundabout fashion. Still, Xiao seemed more than content to let her entertain herself.

Azula however was more intently focused on tracking the movement of the spirit in the mirror. Its long gaunt fingers kept twirling the jagged piece of shattered glass, promising to use it as it moved slowly, but ever so deliberately forward.

It kept getting closer, and for that reason, Azula avoided casting a reflection as much as she could. After all, if it was inside the mirror, then the only thing it could touch was her reflection. It gave her a little bit of relief that the more she did, the less it could follow her. Still, her eyes caught reflective surfaces everywhere. She was glad most of the metal had rusted over, or else she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

The big glass display in front of the store was a major concern. She had no way of covering it up completely, ad she could see her reflection in there, ghostly and transparent, and to her right, the staggering Scion. "What are you doing, Azula, it's weird!"

Azula edged away, trying to keep her reflection out of the glass. "It's just - Ah!" She yelped in pain and drew her hand up to her face. She was bleeding.

"Did you cut yourself on some glass?" Xiao asked. "There's a lot of it around, so be careful, okay?" Azula looked at the cut across her palm. There was no way cut glass could do that without someone guiding it.

Her hand must have been reflected off of the glass! The monster had cut her reflection and her real hand bled. She really began to doubt scientific fact, on this one. Still, her idea should work. She just needed to work quicker. She wouldn't allow him to get away with that. "I just need to make it jump to the right surface."

"How are you going to do that?" Xiao asked.

"I covered as many mirrors as I could," Azula said. She kept herself well out of sight of the glass. "I may not be able to catch him, but I can trap him so he can't escape my attack."

"And that's why you took that rusty sword?"

"Right," Azula said. She'd placed it down against the countertop for the time being, but the sword was the easiest way to produce a trigger for her trap. All she needed to do was put it between the surface the Scion traveled to and from, and its path would no doubt take it straight into harm's way.

She only had one more mirror to cover. She glanced back at the glass. The spirit's image was gone. It could only be one place. She had to make it quick. She rolled across the floor to the mirror hanging on the opposite wall and began to drape a blanket over it. She glanced at it quickly, seeing her reflection, but nothing else. She glanced at the glass display.

Similarly empty.

She hesitated. "Xiao, it's gone."

"It's gone?" XIao sounded surprised, but delighted. "That's good news, right? That means it's gone for good, right? No more mirrors for it to live in so it stopped existing, right?"

"No," Azula said, "The door isn't open, for one thing."

"That's weird," Xiao said, peering up at Azula intently. "I'm sure you can do it." Azula met her in the eye and was about to answer when she stopped, mouth agape, and she pushed Xiao aside with a pained shout. "Ow!" XIao rubbed her head. "That hurt, Azula. Why did you do that?"

"Don't look at me," Azula said.

"But -"

"I said don't!"

"I don't understand," Xiao said. "I don't know what I did wrong!"

Azula's voice was strained. "I made a miscalculation, XIao. I'm sorry if I sound unfair, but if you look at me now." Azula pried her hand from her shoulder. The gash was deep and severe. She was lucky it hadn't hit anything serious, though.

"If I look at you, what?" Xiao's voice trembled.

Azula gripped the water bottle awkwardly, trying her best not to spill it despite the stiffness of her arm. She needed her good hand free to work the water around the cut. Azula grunted at the sting of the cleansing waters.

She'd only barely caught it. If she hadn't noticed the reflection in Xiao's eye, the cut would have probably been fatal. She couldn't risk that again.

"If you look at me - I'll die."

_To be continued..._


	26. The Melancholy of Azula Houou

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Nateshinakute mienai mirai wo zutto osoreteita. Arukidaseba kawatteku keshiki ni hikari ga sashikomu."_

_("I've always been afraid of the future. I can't see where it leads to. As I start walking, the scenery around me changes and the light starts to shine.")_

_- Found Me_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 25: **_The Melancholy of Azula Houou_

There was a first for everything. For Sokka, this was the first time he'd ever been relieved to see the Tower of Memories. An entire school year had been spent fighting his way through this tower and uncovering its mysteries, but he still wouldn't have said he was relieved to see it, normally.

It just confirmed that he was alive. His hands were scuffed, his sword worse for wear, and his toe stubbed against a pile of debris, but otherwise, he seemed fine. He hoped the others had been just as lucky.

The place was a disaster. The tower rumbled ominously, and he could see rubble raining down outside a small window against the wall. He stared out. The entire ground was consumed with flame, and without hesitation, he knew exactly when he was.

This was the end, but it was also the beginning. Sometimes, it became easy to forget that the two were just two sides of the same coin. That day seemed too long ago; he hadn't thought about it in so long.

The twisted, faceless monstrosities were climbing up outside the tower, swinging onto a balcony that had been cut into the primordial stone that made up much of the uppermost floors. They seemed to be moving intently towards some sort of target.

That day - she had told them to go. She told them she had a bitter work to do.

It wasn't real. He told himself that, he tried to talk himself down. The hordes that had burst through to the roof of the tower had been legion, and he didn't doubt that there were more of those primordial spirits waiting below them that day. Even knowing this was an illusion, he knew he had to move upward and help her fight.

He just hoped he wouldn't regret it.

* * *

"I hate this."

Zuko agreed. He hated hospitals. He wasn't sure why, really. He'd spent enough time in them visiting Azula. He'd even come down with more colds than he'd ever experienced previously because of those visits.

Every day, after school, no exceptions.

"Why do I have to come. It's not my fault."

The litte girl across the waiting room from him seemed more than happy to fill up the relative silence of the place. Only a few intercom messages paging doctors seemed to otherwise fill the wordless void. He'd never seen this place so sombre, even the emergency room.

It was a busy night, too. He could hear gurneys being pushed down the halls every now and then. Sometimes he'd catch a shout from one doctor to another. They were dealing with something big. An accident of some sort. He wondered where he was. He wondered _when_ he was.

"Zuzu's the one who was too stupid -"

"That's enough, Azula."

Zuko's eyes snapped up and he looked over at the girl. His heart stopped. She was being reprimanded by a very distraught woman, a woman whose face he hadn't seen in so many years. She looked almost exactly as he remembered. "But I'm tired. We've been here all night!"

"I know you're tired, Azula, but it's going to be a while longer. They're doing everything to help your brother."

"He's fine. He's always fine. This is just silly,' Azula said. "Dad, can we please go?"

At this, Zuko turned to look at the man sitting down behind the mother and daughter. He looked up, his sharp, uncaring eyes always seemed so full of contempt to him, but right now, they just seemed lost. Funny, then, that he'd just gained everything he could have wished for. "You will wait until the doctors come."

"That's boring."

"Ursa," Ozai said, looking at his wife. She seemed to nod in understanding and took Azula's hand in hers and began to lead her away.

"Where are we going?"

"Your father needs some time, Azula. Why don't we go look around while we wait." The girl didn't seem happy with that request, just moaning tiredly. Zuko glanced at a clock. It was well into the morning at four o'clock. She must have been exhausted. He found himself watching them as they walked past him.

He felt a bit awkward when he stood up.

But for whatever reason, he couldn't do anything but follow them.

* * *

Azula had a plan. Unfortunately, like most plans, it had been thrown out the window just moments ago. The Moon Scion had appeared in the reflection of Xiao's eye. She'd been lucky to spot it. She'd been lucky not to have been killed then and there. She'd said that thing was crafty.

Now she knew not to underestimate it. Still, she needed a new plan, and she needed it immediately. Xiao's eyes were clenched shut, but she didn't expect the girl to keep them closed indefinitely. She'd already caught her peeking out of the corner of her eyes at things. "Just sit down," Azula snapped, "And I'll tell you when you can open your eyes."

"I'm scared, Azula."

"I'm not," Azula retorted. "It's all a matter of planning." Not that she had one, admittedly, but she'd take it one step at a time. The creature seemed to move at the speed of light from reflection to reflection. Azula grabbed the rusty sword. She wasn't fast enough to hope to slice or slash it, and she had no earthly clue how to lure it in a direct enough path. Who knew what else the thing would hop to if she didn't act quickly.

If it could leap to any reflection, then something as innocuous as a five-en piece could throw off the whole plan.

Then it clicked in her head.

"Xiao, when I say so, I want you to look up in front of you." She scurried over to the counter. The wound was still fresh, but the healing waters had stopped the bleeding. Now it was just a tender cut. It would possibly leave a scar unless she got it tended to further. She didn't have time to worry about that.

The register had been thrown over the counter but she hoped that it still held some coinage. She climbed over the surface and kicked open the register. Coins spilled out of their neat containers onto the ash-covered floor. Among them, a trail of five-en pieces, still holding onto their shine in the destruction, immediately drew her eye.

"Azula, what am I supposed to look at?"

"Nothing yet," Azula said, taking the coins and smirking. She just needed to make sure she predicted the angle right. Xiao was growing restless. She would too, if she arbitrarily was told to shut her eyes with clear instructions to under no circumstances peek. "Just give me a little longer."

"Okay. But hurry! My eye's all itchy."

"It won't be long now." She grinned. This time, she was certain. Sword hefted at the ready. "Are you ready? Look up, straight in front of you, okay?"

"Okay." Xiao did so. She blinked a second, then noticed the spinning, shiny five-en piece. She blinked her eyes as they adjusted to the light. "Huh?" She wasn't sure why it was important, The next thing she saw was a sword brought up in the air and a sudden sharp cry.

Azula had been a bit slow with the sword. The girl opened her eyes just as she expected, but the sword was heavier than she took it for. The rust didn't help any. She was fighting against weight and the additional wind-resistance.

Still, she expected nothing less but perfection from herself. And she expected that the split second following her hefting the heavy blade into position, sudden explosions of shadows as the Scion moved from Xiao's eyes to the coin through the blade.

The speed it moved at must have caused it to turn the dulled edge of the blade into a deadly weapon strong enough to cut it in two. She didn't even see the Scion until the mask fell in two pieces at her feet. She made sure to grab the five-en piece. There was no point in letting it go to waste.

"What just happened?"

"The guardian is finished," Azula said, confidently. "I'll explain it later. For now, we should investigate this gate." Xiao stared stunned at Azula, almost dumbfounded. "What is the matter?"

"You killed it? Even though it was living in mirrors?" She sounded mystified, she sounded incredulous, in fact, she sounded downright - "That's incredible!" - ecstatic.

"Not particularly."

"Let's go see if the gate's open!" Xiao said, bounding for the rear entrance with all the energy that her tiny body afforded herself, vaulting over the wooden counter like a lemur. "Oh! Neat! Coins!"

Azula smirked. Apparently, she also had the attention span of one. "Leave them. We'll have plenty of time to take up coin collecting when we get out of this prison."

Xiao looked up from the pile of shiny coins back at Azula, before reluctantly standing up and dropping the coins she'd picked up. "You're right. Let's see what the door's like now!" she broke into a sprint and collided with the gate. "Ow!"

"You need to watch where you're going," she said, tiredly. "If you get hurt, don't expect me to kiss it and make it better." Xiao moaned, rubbing her face with a tired grunt. Azula scoffed. Had she ever been so foolish? The gate no longer seemed to be completely enshrouded in shadow. If anything, it looked like a normal door. No strange markings, no unusual qualities of light or darkness wholly alien to the natural world, simply a door.

And the very best kind of door, as well, one that was not locked. "Wow, it's opened! How did you do that?" Xiao asked. Azula paused. It wasn't a difficult question, in and of itself, only that it brought up more questions than it did answers.

In long, drawn out syllables, she suggested, "I pushed the handle and opened the latch?"

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Xiao said. "It would have been so much cooler if you were some kind of chosen one, though."

It was an ordinary door, and it led to a very ordinary alleyway, where the garbage had been strewn about in dischord. Whatever destruction had visited this Ba Sing Se had been thorough. "So we're here," she said, "The stench is unbearable, this city is deserted, and we've passed the first of five gates."

"We're making excellent progress, but could you defeat the next guardian even faster?"

"Do I tell you how to do your job?"

"No, I suppose not," Xiao said, rather dejectedly. "It's just, I can't wait for us to reach the way out." Azula nodded slowly. She was eager to leave this place behind and get to the bottom of this maze once and for all. It was just a sense of ill-ease she felt aroud Xiao.

The feeling that she could see inside her head was disconcerting at the best of times, terrifying at others. She hardly knew anything about Xiao, and the girl was certainly not one to talk about herself. "Why were you in this maze, Xiao?"

"Because I've always been here," she answered. "That's why I want to get out of here. I want to see what your life is like, Azula. You're so amazing!"

"So you say," Azula answered evasively. She wasn't usually one to take praise as anything other than empty, but she did not mind allowing her ego to be stroked once in a while. However, this hero worship she received left her feeling no more at ease with this girl.

There was something in the way she went about it. It was almost tactical, one moment, but overflowingly sincere the next. It was hard tot ell where she stood. "We should get moving. This place is stinky."

"You're right. We're headed to the Tram Station?" Xiao paused before nodding with a bit of apprehension. "What's wrong now? You said the mall was the only way to reach the tram station."

"And it is, only, there's another gate between us and there, first," she said. "And that means another guardian." Azula rolled her eyes. It came as no surprise that things would just get more and more complicated. "Come on! We should go!"

Azula followed her down a street filled with looted businesses and overturned derelict cars. The haze of the red sky fell over them as they walked. Empty streets, empty buildings, empty lives - Ba Sing Se without the crowds still felt unnatural. There was a stillness that was an unwelcome addition to the city.

"You shouldn't get so antsy. Ba Sing Se really isn't so much different whether it has people or not," Xiao said. "Isn't that true?"

"Some would say a city is nothing without the people who live in it."

"A city is a series of buildings constructed along a network of roads and tunnels, people are just clutter in a perfect organism," Xiao said, eyes closed, her recitation perfect. "I think that's how it goes."

"Where did you hear that?" Azula's hairs stood on end.

"Somewhere. It was a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Azula asked, her voice hollow. Xiao stared at her for a moment, before shrugging and grabbing her hand.

"Doesn't matter. Come on! We've got a long way to go!" It was a long way through the network of streets that made up Ba Sing Se. She could see the tram's tracks in the distance. They seem in relative good shape compared to the rest of the city, but the trams sat motionless atop them. She remembered these streets.

She'd been down them quite often, though she only had the vaguest of recollection of them. She'd always focused harder on how she would convince her brother to rejoin the Bending Club, back then. Aside from the ramshackle apartment he kept, the only constant in his life was that old tea shop.

She wondered just how desolated it looked, even as she knew she was about to find out.

* * *

Toph never liked to admit being unable to handle something. She was used to people assuming she couldn't do something because of her blindness, and she made certain that they were always proven wrong.

Unfortunately, there were some things that were a little much to expect of anyone, least of all her. A seemingly furious Azula stood before her and with her she offered the ultimate challenge, the one that Toph couldn't even begin to fathom. "Tell me, Toph, precisely what is it he sees in her anyway?"

That was a tricky question. She'd need some time to think it through. "Wait," she said, stalling for time. "You want me to answer that for you? Really?" She didn't even know when she was. This was beginning to cause her headaches. Sokka could go on and on about his fancy Introduction to Psychology class terms, laying down on her as many unconsciousnesses as he could fit into a sentence, and she still wouldn't be sure why she was suddenly in the past.

"You seem to be quite familiar with both of them," she answered. "I'm merely curious. I can't see the appeal."

"I am, am I?" Toph said. She could feel Azula tense, slowly. She didn't like that answer one bit. "Well," it seemed she needed to come up with something. She needed an answer, and she needed it fast. "Hair."

Too fast.

"Hair? Really? Those, those loopies are somehow fashionable, are they?" She was talking about Katara, then? Well, that made sense retrospectively. She was getting the handle of this question now. She just needed to make a logical leap of faith.

"Yeah, Aang's totally into that."

"Is he." She seemed pensive, processing this new tidbit of information. Toph could feel the cogs whirring in that head of hers. Actually, the challenge seemed a lot less threateing now that she'd tackled the first mystery. "Is he really that shallow?"

Of course, Azula wouldn't make things easy. She didn't even know how she got dragged into this conversation in the first place, it hardly seemed fair. "Of course not. He's got layers, lots of layers. Almost all of the layers, in fact," she paused. "Kind of onion-y in his layer qualities."

"I can't believe you're comparing him to a vegetable."

"Well, excuse me for not having working eyes, Miss Insensitive. I don't exactly get to see all of your various layered objects, I've got to work with what I know."

"Of course, my apologies," Azula said. She seemed tense. "It's merely this ridiculous dance. He is getting distracted." And there was the when! She was definitely making some progress.

"He's not the only one," she said, wryly.

"What are you implying?" She was going to enjoy this.

* * *

Yue, in summary, was quite baffled. Somehow, she had hoped she'd been back in the maze, reunited with everyone else, and more than eager to let them know she was all right. Instead, she found herself watching the sun set on the beaches of Ember Island - or some collective memory of Ember Island if Sokka was right - enjoying the pleasant breeze.

They'd been sent echoes of the past before, bearing witness to forgotten deeds and covered up crimes, and she wouldn't be surprised if this was an extension of that. She was not trapped there, she simply hadn't yet seen what she was meant to.

Whatever that was.

She thought back to that young Azula. Perhaps she should find her again, and speak with her. She seemed lonely, somehow, even with her family. It couldn't have been easy, she thought, growing up with expectations. It could be especially trying when your parents didn't understad.

She decided to seek her out. After all, it wasn't like she had any other ideas. The moon would soon be over Ember Island, and the cool sea breeze would chill a girl to her bones if she wasn't careful.

Azula, age six, however, didn't seem to care or mind when Yue found her underneath the full moon throwing stones at the scurrying crustateans that darted out of the ocean. Her aim was sharp, and her focus was unshakeable. So focused was she that when Yue called out to her, she jumped at the shock.

"Who's there!" Azula called.

"It's only me."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, suspiciously peering over at her from the edge of the ocean. "Are you following me? I'm warning you, my father knows people. You'll be dead before you know what happened."

"I'm not here to hurt you," Yue said. She seemed especially paranoid. "I just saw you out here alone and thought you could use the company." Azula sniffed indignantly. "Did you get into an argument with your brother?"

"No."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"As if."

Yue sighed. She sought another avenue of conversation. Azula picked up another stone and tossed it, checking its weight, and then with only a second's hesitation, she threw it at Yue. Yue nearly jumped back in fright when the stone landed right in front of her with a sickening crack.

It was a crustacean, apparently sidling back towards the ocean when Azula had spotted it. It didn't seem like it was going to make it back to the water any longer. "That poor thing."

"It's just a dumb animal," Azula said callously. "Don't tell me you're one of those people who think animals get married and have little families like in the cartoons - please, they're just stupid creatures who don't amount to anything."

"All the same, we shouldn't hurt them for the sake of hurting them."

"As if I care," Azula said. "You sound like my mom. She gets so freaky over stupid things like that."

"Did you get into an argument with your mother?" Azula grew quiet, and started looking towards the moon, large and full in the night sky. She seemed to ponder something for quite some time before turning her head back to Yue.

And then she answered.

* * *

She wondered how many of the old regulars in that tea shop knew that the quiet, mature young man with the scar over his eye was the infamous Delinquent Prince of Ba Sing Se. In all the times she'd visited the place, they never seemed to take any notice of it. If they knew, they didn't care, and if they didn't know, they didn't care to find out.

Now, the tea shop was about the only part of the small plaza still in tact. One of the taller buildings across the street had collapsed and rained rubble down, blocking the street and tearing apart the neighboring buildings. "We're almost to the next gate!"

"Good," Azula commented. She looked along the other road. "Why can't we just go around the building?" Xiao peered down the road curiously. "Perhaps we can circumvent this gate and simpy proceed straight to the tram station."

"No," Xiao said, upset, "It's a good idea, but the rest of this place is flooded and there's like so much gasoline in the water that it's all what's the word - like a bug -"

"Irridescent," Azula said, and after a thought, added, "Disgusting." She looked over the road herself. A little ways beyond the corner, the road had completely collapsed and a water main still pumped water into the exposed sewers. She was surprised the water still worked in an imaginary city that had been devastated that thoroughly.

There was definitely gasoline in that water, probably from the cars that had been thrown into the open chasm by the destruction of the street. It looked thoroughly unhealthy. "I suppose we'll have to go through, won't we."

"Looks that way," Xiao said. "Sorry! Anyway, we should hurry. We don't have long!"

"Long for what?" Xiao seemed pushier since they passed the first gate. Azula wrote it off to her being anxious to leave the prison. Still, Azula wasn't going to tolerate it much longer. "We should not rush into this situation. Last time, I got this lovely cut on my shoulder for our trouble. Let's proceed with caution."

"If you say so." Xiao huffed, clearly upset.

She approached the door to the tea house with some great deal of apprehension. The ground was far from stable, and she worried that it wouldn't be able to hold her weight. She stepped lightly, and soon found herself at the door. Relaxing a little, she pushed past them and into the small tea house. Behind her, she heard Xiao squeak and a loud rumble.

"What did you do?" she asked, turning around.

"I didn't mean to! It just happened!" Azula scowled at the sight. Outside, the ground had given way. The rubble settled into a nice pile underneath, and she didn't see them getting back the way they came very easily. It would take a good running start to even hope to leap over the chasm.

Only forward - as if they ever had a choice. The shop was full of overturned chairs and broken pottery. It had been hit hard by whatever had rocked the city so badly, and looked like a burnt out husk. The charred remains of the tables seemed like skeletal shamblers, leaning one way, melted to the ground, and skinny as a shadow.

She wondered if anyone had even been inside. There certainly didn't seem to be any signs of human life there, and it certainly didn't look like it was ever host to it. "This isn't real, remember? This maze makes up fake realities."

Azula paused. On some level she accepted what Xiao said fully. This was wholly impossible. "Of course," she answered, on some levels still unable to accept that this was all a complex illusion. "Whatever created this must be immensely powerful. Imagine what we could do if we could harness that power."

Xiao squeaked, "You mustn't!" She shivered in fright. "It may be listening! It's all around us here."

"I am not frightened of some nebulous force. Whatever power it has over you does not extend to me." She took a deep sigh and looked around. "I suppose another guardian is hiding around here somewhere."

Xiao sighed. She seemed relieved by the change in topic and quickly hurried further into the tea house. "Try the back," Azula called back, "There's a side entrance that way. Hopefully the alleyway hasn't collapsed."

"Got it!" Xiao called back. "I don't see any guardian around here, though."

"I suppose we had the benefit of knowing it was waiting for us last time," Azula said, "We have no idea what this guardian is like. They're insignificant bugs who have to use cowardly tactics to be any threat."

"I found it!" Xiao called without acknowledging Azula. The side door was just the same as the one in the mall. The shadows moved like they were of one malevolent mind. Writhing and pulsing in time with a heartbeat, whatever had created this gate, "It's totally blocked too."

"But where is the guardian?" She watched the room like a hawk, her ears pricked at even the slightest sound. She would know the instant it appeared from whatever hole it hid in. Feet tapped against a filthy floor, kicking up clouds of dust from their long rest. She kicked aside a broken tea cup, searching high and low.

"Do you see it?" Xiao asked, causing Azula to start.

"I'm looking!" Azula shouted back. "How am I supposed to find it if you keep distracting me?" Xiao looked guiltily at the ground like a scolded school girl, and Azula momentarily forgot her temper. "All I mean is this. It could be sneaking up on us at this very moment, so you need to be quiet so I can find it before it pounces."

"But -" Xiao was interrupted by the sound of the door coming off its hinges, smashing against the wall with a clatter "- I found it."

Azula turned around. The scion was the largest one she'd ever seen. The steel mask it wore was the same as the ones she'd seen in the Stars of Solitude, a roughly inscribed 'IV' between its empty eye holes. It was assembled from twisted black metal that seared a burning red in time with her every breath.

It crouched and pushed through the door frame, pieces of the building crashing to the ground as it pushed through the too-small doorway. It was a lopsided abomination, pieces of it were clearly cannibalized from other bits of machinery, making it look almost like a movie monster. The odor of sewage wafted off of it, along with the burnt smell of heat and twisted metal. It heaved a heavy wrecking ball in through the wall.

It stood hunched, and moved slowly towards them, all the while sounding like a car engine. Unsurprisingly, Azula noted, there was one in the center of its chest. "It's ginormous!"

"I see that," Azula said.

"I thought you said they were bugs!"

"I appear to have made that judgment prematurely."

"I'll forgive that, since it's you."

"How magnanimous." Azula glanced around the tea house, before pointing behind the counter, "Get to the kitchen."

"Why? Do you have some sort of plan? Do you want me to assemble a bomb following your exact specifications?" Xiao's eyes were alight with wonder and excitement. Azula shook her head slowly and grumbled.

"No, I want you to hide in there while I deal with this. I can't afford to have you get in the way again."

"It wasn't my fault!"

"I don't care. You're a liability, Xiao, at least in combat."

Xiao sighed, bowing her head, "Okay, okay. But, promise me you won't abandon me here, okay? Promise!" The scion crept to a stop and lifted up its right arm. In place of a hand or piece of construction equipment, the scion had attached a flamethrower to it. The heat from its body only intensified the stream.

Azula kicked off and cut the stream in two with a gust of wind. "Whatever! Just get going before you end up roasted alive!"

Xiao didn't need any further prompting, disappearing behind the counter and into the kitchen. The scion didn't seem remotely interested in her. Its eye sockets focused on her. A wreath of fire surrounded its head, and left a trail of black and ash on the ceiling behind it. The creature was a walking fire hazard.

Azula narrowed her eyes. It was going to leave behind a smoldering pile of ashes in its wake at this rate. She had to be quick.

She kicked off the ground and landed with a wide kick. Large gusts of air kicked up around her, slamming into the guardian, and with the momentum from that, she swept around low, another gust pushing back against its legs. She darted back and smirked.

The scion was not impressed. The wind blew as hard as it could, but it couldn't move the Emperor Scion.

Azula scowled. "You're tougher than I expected." She eyed the gap between its legs and smirked, "But I wonder just how quick you are."

* * *

It was raining.

The water felt good against her skin. It wasn't really rain, though, just everyone's memory of rain, but wasn't it enough that it felt cool against her skin? It was nearing the end of fall, from the looks of things. She heard the light rumbling of thunder.

She was definitely alive, despite being flung through a wall made of shattered memories, but she wasn't sure how. The rain felt good, regardless. Even before realizing she had the potential as a bender, Katara always seemed to enjoy ice and rain as much as anyone could.

Thunder, however, was another matter. Another crash followed a flash of lightning. The storm was nearly directly overhead, she realized, and she looked around her. Ba Sing Se always had its share of people about, even during the cold fall rainstorms. She'd often watch them out of her window - rainy days were one of the few times she found time to focus on her schoolwork, and even then she always felt distracted.

As much as she loved the rain, the thunder that came with it brought back unpleasant memories of unhappier days, of days when she barely knew her power at all and was almost powerless to do anything.

Somehow, she'd found herself outside the old dorm, looking in her window, trying to catch a glimpse of herself while hiding as a shadow in the rain. A heavy sigh - her light was on but no one was home - Katara had always wondered what it'd be like to meet herself in one of these pocket worlds. It would be one way to speed along the world shattering.

Whether or not that was a good thing was irrelevent, as far as she knew, until they did that, they were stuck in these pockets of the past.

She started to walk away. There were other places to go to, she thought, and there was nothing to say that there was anything particularly pressing about visiting the dorm. She just felt drawn to it, that was all there was to it; some kind of morbid curiosity, as well.

A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and she caught a glimpse, just briefly, of a shadow on the rooftops. She stopped. "Oh no," she whispered, "Not now -"

She'd picked up the keys from the real dorm earlier, perhaps they'd work in this one. She was glad she was in uniform, it would have looked really suspicious if some girl had pulled out a large keychain and started trying each and every one of them at the door. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find the right one. It slipped in the lock, and she turned the key. The door swung open.

It was a matter of separating positive and negative chi, Azula told her, it was simply a matter of controlling it. She'd been too cocky, and Katara had felt nervous. She remembered that with alarming clarity. She went to her room to study, but she couldn't focus. She went to Azula's room only to find she was missing. She wasn't in the office, either, and neither were the old scrolls on firebending.

She'd heard the crack of thunder, and her heart had stopped.

Even now, Katara was retracing the path she'd taken. Up the stairs, one final time, and she was at the roof.

It was unusual seeing herself. The look of terror on the girl's face - her face - was heartrending. "Azula, no," she repeated. Azula, looking as still as she'd ever been, had been struck by lightning she couldn't control. "Wake up - wake up, Azula."

She was going to be okay, Katara tried to say. Just believe in yourself, she'd continue, but her words got caught in her throat. It had taken her forever to learn how to use it at will, but somehow instinct had guided her at that moment. Maybe if she just sat and watched -

"Who's there?"

- her younger self would notice her there and react. Even if, and that was a big if, Sokka was right and this was all a construct of some sort of universal memory, it wasn't like Yomi at all. They were not invisible observers, but active participants in these memories.

The girl stared at a girl who looked, though a little older, exactly like her. She stammered out a frightened, "You're a spirit aren't you - but -"

"No, no!" Katara could only shout out a weak protest. "I'm not a spirit, I'm here to help!"

Katara remembered gathering the rain water instinctively, turning the storm into a miracle underneath her hands. She remembered feeling the pleasant glow as she healed the wounds, and brought Azula back from the brink.

Instead, she watched herself gather the rain into a water whip, sliding into a shaky and unstable waterbending stance, and lashing at her mirror image with all the finesse of a rank amateur. Katara wasted no time or effort. Pulling the water back, she looped it around her back and pushed it back forward, washing over herself with one fluid movement.

Katara the younger coughed out the water. She looked even more soaked than before. The rain water washed down her face, and she looked utterly frustrated. "I'm serious, I'm here to help." Azula was in a bad place. She'd been too arrogant and she'd lost control of the lightning shortly after it formed.

"Who are you?" her younger self demanded to know.

"That doesn't matter right now. Azula needs us right now, and you're the one who's going to have to listen to me." The other Katara looked apprehensively at, well, herself, then back at Azula. "I know it's unusual, but you're going to get used to it. Trust me."

The younger girl took only a few seconds to decide. "What do I do?"

* * *

"Your face is weird."

"Azula, don't say that to the nice man." Zuko didn't mind. He'd long since grown accustomed to Azula's more, well, direct approach to people. If anything, the little exchange brought him back to when they were a family. That seemed an awfully long time ago, right then and there.

"Well it is," she protested weakly. Ursa brought herself down and whispered something to the girl, who rolled her eyes, but complied regardless. She bowed her head and said, "Sorry for being rude, sir."

"It's okay. I was just - just taking a walk. It's been a long night."

"You don't know the half of it," Azula said out of the corner of her mouth. He was amazed by just how tired the two of them looked. He half expected Azula to fall asleep with her head against her mother's leg like that.

"I'm sorry, it's well beyond her bedtime. Did you know someone from the lab?" she asked. She knew the answer would be yes. There wasn't anyone in this building that didn't know someone from the accident one way or the other.

"Yes, but," he paused. His hesitation spoke volumes to Ursa who bowed her head in acknowledgement. "It's all right. These things happen."

"Wouldn't be here if my dumb brother didn't decide to sneak in," Azula said, her voice muffled by her mother's pantleg. The troubled expression returned to Ursa's face. He'd caused his mother so much pain by being selfish. Azula'd been the one to goad him into it, though - he'd said as such, and the girl received a tongue-lashing she wouldn't forget.

But he could see, beneath the exhaustion and annoyance in his sister's posture, a sort of rigid nervousness. Perhaps even she was worried about him. "So it's your son," Zuko tried to sound as surprised as he could.

"The doctors seem confident," she said, though he wondered why she wasn't so sure of that. Zuko sighed. A mother would worry.

"That's good, then. At worst, he'll have some scars," Zuko tried to play it positively, but he knew full well how scarred he'd be. He'd always have little girls saying he had a weird face, there was no way around that.

"He's such a good boy, I don't know what possessed him to -"

"It's just a fact of life. Kids do things they're not supposed to. Wouldn't worry about it, right, Azula?" The girl looked at him with distaste.

"I didn't say you could use my name."

"Azula, behave," Ursa chided. She began to apologize for her daughter's behavior, repeating the same excuses. It was the same old Azula, though, and sometimes he missed when their sibling rivalry was played out as little more than playground antics. By the time it reached fever pitch, it seemed as though somehow their rivalry became wrapped around the fate of the world. "You understand, don't you?"

He was startled by the question, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking - it's been a long time since I've really seen my own sister, you see."

"I keep telling them to be nice to each other, but that's just how siblings are, I suppose. Once they move out, it'll be different -" how he wished that were true. With a sullen smile, he nodded his head in agreement. It was the little lies we told the ones we loved, he supposed.

"You have a sister, too, huh?" Azula wasn't much one for coincidence, ever, and usually, it served her well. "What's her name?" When Zuko hesitated, she leapt on it, "I bet he's lying."

"Azula, he doesn't have to say if he doesn't want to."

"Her name's," he paused, then finally settled on, "Tara."

"Huh, sounds fakey," Azula said. "What's she like?"

"Intense. Very intense," Zuko said, "We don't get along most of the time. She's got ambition, but sometimes - most of the time - that gets the better of her. She was in the hospital for a long, long time."

Azula looked absolutely horrified. "That's terrible! Why would you let them keep her there."

"She was very sick, for a while. She got better," he added, lamely, "But she couldn't really speak for herself." Azula's face looked pale. She'd always been uncomfortable around the Spiritless, those people whose essence had been devoured by the Spirits who escaped the Spirit World. He never really understood why.

"That's the worst thing!" Azula nearly shrieked. Ursa gave her a chastising glance, but the girl didn't seem to notice. "How can anyone want to live like that?"

"What if they get better?" Zuko asked. "Wouldn't you do anything you could to keep that hope alive?"

Azula didn't seem convinced. She never really believed in having hope for the future, though, in fact, she disliked anything she couldn't directly plan out. Azula always needed control, and he supposed losing that control terrified her.

"I'm glad that she pulled through," Ursa said, "But it sounds like you two have drifted apart." He always remembered her like this, caring and kind even to a complete stranger. But, that was all she was, in the end, the memories of that kindness. Still, he wasn't sad. It made him feel better just to hear her voice, even if he was just speaking to his memories.

"We have," he said, "And it's my fault. But, she's definitely going to be a part of my life from now on."

* * *

The scion exuded heat from every inch of its black metal hide. She felt sweat form on her forehead just from sliding past it under its legs. The scion had a large form, too large for the building, and clearly far too large to turn in a timely manner.; Azula smiled in triumph, it was almost too easy.

The winds were on her back, they were at her total command, and she relished in the liberating thrill of escaping the confines of gravity. She leapt into the air and kicked both her legs forward, a blast of wind slamming into the back of the creature's head.

The flames flickered and died momentarily before igniting once again with an increased fervor. It swung to its left, hefting with surprising speed the wrecking ball attached to its arm. The large metal ball swung past, dangerously close, before slamming into the wall. Plaster and steel came crashing down all around as the wrecking ball tore through.

And when the wall came down, the stench of sewage and gasoline wafted up from the sunken street on the other side. "It really opens up the room," Azula muttered wryly. Then, her eyes caught the cracks in the floor below. She pushed a soft gust of wind under foot.

She stumbled as she landed softly. The building shook at the foundation, and the cracks slowly crawled forward. Taking down the wall had damaged the structure of the building. Anymore damage and the thing was liable to crumble, and the floor looked barely sturdy enough now to hold her weight.. She rolled for safety as the guardian shot out another blast of fire.

"Did you get it?"

Azula whipped her head around. Xiao peeked her head out from behind the countertop, her eyes alight as she stared at Azula.

"Almost." She glanced at the scion. It seemed off balance thanks to the wrecking ball. It was pulling at it in frustration. It seemed like it would be there for a while longer. "You should get back to hiding, Xiao. This is going to be dangerous."

"Do you have a plan? Tell me you have a plan!"

"Of course."

"Is it - is it going to rock ultimate?"

Azula's mouth opened to respond but she caught herself before she answered. What did that even mean? Xiao stared at her expectantly for an answer, seeming a bit confused by the sudden hesitation. "Yes, yes it is. It's going to rock ultimate." Whatever that meant, she added silently.

"You could even say there's going to be fireworks," Azula added as she stood up. "Hey. Is this all a scion can do? Whatever created you, I'm not impressed." The creature seemed to respond to her words. With a mighty heft it freed the wrecking ball from the debris.

It stared at her over its shoulder, The black metal body slowly began to turn. Its black metal frame began to heat up, turning brighter and brighter shades of red. The metal tables around it began to turn molten and melt.

Azula frowned. "This may be harder than I anticipated."

* * *

"Mom's - Mom never liked me."

"That's not true," Yue protested, but the girl silenced her with a glance. She always seemed so mature and independent, even here, a small child barely even six years of age, her sullen face betrayed a measure of melancholic awareness.

"She thinks I'm a monster." She paused, then added, "And so do you."

"I know you're not a monster. You just have troubles," she said, "Everyone has troubles, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Your mother just worries about you. Mothers worry, that's just how they are."

"You don't see the way she looks at me." Yue hesitated, unsure how to answer, and Azula pounced on that like a hungry lioness. "See? You don't understand. It's all right, I'm okay with it. Not like she's wrong."

"How can you think that?" Yue looked the girl dead in the eye and found her staring back with a clear and sharp expression, almost frightening on a girl that young.

"I don't want to be like Dad," she said, "I can tell he hates Uncle Iroh. I'm not going to let Zuzu get the better of me like that, ever." Yue sighed. Pity the child who knows her parents, or however the old song goes. She was too young to understand the hows and whys, but the underlying emotions seemed perfectly clear to the six year old.

"Your father does not hate your uncle, Azula. He's simply frustrated."

"Oh, he hates him, I know. I heard him," Azula said. "He doesn't notice me sometimes, when he's really mad at something, and I hear all he talks about. Grandfather likes Iroh better, you see." She sat down in the sand and stared at the ocean. "At least Dad likes me best."

"Parents don't play favorites."

"Mine do." Yue sighed. An only child really couldn't weigh in on this. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. I just needed space. People need space, right?" Yue nodded, slowly. "Why are you being so nice to me, anyway?"

"You looked like you needed a friend, and I'm a real good listener. See?" she pointed at the moon, "I'm always watching over you." Azula rolled her eyes.

"You're not the Moon, lady."

"Oh? I suppose you can prove that?" Yue watched the little girl flap her mouth futiley, spluttering out half-thought out explanations and theories. "Do you want to believe spirits are real and there watching over and protecting you?"

She sighed, "I don't know. It's so kiddy."

"It's not kiddy at all," Yue protested. "It may not seem like much when you've got a comfortable home and friends and people who love you, but sometimes, just once in a while, what you need more than anything is hope."

Azula scoffed, and looked at the moon reflected on the sea. "Hope, huh? That's dumb. People who rely on hope are the worst. They're like Zuzu, always daydreaming and never doing anything. I don't need hope."

"Well," Yue said, "It's still there when you need it most."

"Whatever." She stood up, and with a stammer, said, "I'm going back in now. Uh, even if you're not the moon, you're a really nice lady." She gave Yue a small wave and scurried up the beach to the Houou summer home. Yue sighed.

Azula always bottled everything up inside, keeping some measure of control over herself at all times. The only time she'd seen her without that control, she would agree after some hesitation that monster may have been the best word. Resentment, loathing, hate - all of those things had been bubbling over inside Azula for years. Even now, they were there, fomenting.

Yue started to walk when she stumbled. She felt her world shudder and shake and saw the cracks forming beneath her feet. But it felt like an earthquake, tearing up the ground underneath until there was nothing left. The night sky of Ember Island shattered into a thousand pieces, flying into the great abyss, and the sand beneath her sunk down and she began to sink with it. She felt herself with nothing underfoot, falling for the second time.

* * *

Azula moved their discussion to the rooftop. It was a lot less crowded than the school's halls, and it gave Azula a good view of the city. She always seemed to like it up there, lording over everything with her smug sense of superiority. Toph sometimes admired that about her. Sure, she was borderline psychopath, but she knew what she wanted and she went for it.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm focused on making sure the rate of Spiritless slows down. The rate since last month has doubled," she said, "It's becoming a serious problem and my father is putting the screws to me to see this finished quickly."

Toph was a bit confused. Double the previous month? Then she remembered, it had been Oma, the Badger Mole Spirit, who had gone about Ba Sing Se preying on couples. Of course the rate would double, she went after two for Koh's one. "It'll work itself out, don't worry!"

"You know, we went through quite an ordeal for you. You could show a little more concern for the job you volunteered to do," Azula said, wryly. Toph snickered. "Anyhow. I didn't come here to discuss the situation with the Spirits."

"Oh right, we're talking about why Aang likes Katara better than you," Toph said, "Well, for starters, she smiles some of the time."

"That has nothing to do with anything!" Azula snapped. "And I smile. I smile quite a lot. I have a perfect smile, my teeth have never had a cavity, and I make sure they are bleached regularly." Toph rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I've never seen it, but Sokka said it was, and I quote, 'Like watching a saber moose lion find its dinner.'"

"Sokka is a moron, we both know that." Azula crossed her arms over her chest. "And like I said, I've rehearsed my smiling to be perfect."

"Yeah, exactly. You have to work at it, and your smile isn't half as electrifying as Katara's," Toph said. "And another thing, you're kind of mean."

"Ruthless, perhaps, but hardly mean. I just maintain a healthy level of professional distance in most dealings." Toph snickered. It was so easy to get her off-guard when it got down to touchy-feely emotions.

"Yeah, but Katara's _nice_. Like sickeningly nice. I mean, sure, she holds a grudge for a lifetime, and she can be scarier than you when she puts her mind to it." She ignored Azula's protests at being called scary, and waved her hand. "Seriously, she's got you dead to rights when it comes to being pleasant."

"I hardly see how that matters -"

"It so does. And another thing, she's like the most popular girl at school. I don't think you could throw Momo around by the tail and not hit someone who wouldn't drop everything to go out with her. And you want to know why she's so popular?"

"I don't suppose saying no is going to stop you."

"Nope! Totally rhetorical," she said, "She's more popular because she's nice, she's got a winning smile, and she's gorgeous or something, I don't know, I can't see her most of the time. And you're kind of an ogre."

"A - _what_?"

"You know, people are scared of you."

"I told you, I'm not scary, merely... intimidating."

"You can call it whatever you want, it all means the same thing to me," Toph retorted, grinning. She was enjoying this. Azula was squirming in her shoes. "Anyway. Despite the fact that you smile like it hurts you, you've got the personality of a large angry monster, and you kind of scare him, Aang likes you well enough, I guess. He's like that. It's just compared to Katara? Well, what can you do." She shrugged. "Unless Katara gets a date or something -"

"I see." A sudden calm radiated over Azula. "Anyhow, I'm thankful for your assistance." Everything came crashing to a halt. This was not how that happened remotely, was it? She did not totally get warped through time and gave Azula the idea to throw Zuko at Katara, did she?

She hoped this was really not real.

* * *

The place was going to catch fire if it got any hotter. She was accustomed to the heat of the flame, she'd been raised to - she was raised around fire, that's for certain. She couldn't focus on the haziness of her memory while that abomination stood, turning the world around it red with heat.

She would not be defeated by such a creature. No, her pride demanded nothing short than complete and total victory.

It seared its footprints into the floor as it trudged towards her. Not for the first time, Azula wished she could bend fire again. She wasn't even sure why she couldn't. After all, the Avatar Spirit was not precisely limited. The scion raised its right arm and let loose a stream of fire. Azula kicked up another gust of wind, and when it collided with the stream it diverted the flames around her. She could barely stand this heat.

She needed this to end. She needed it three feet back. That was all.

She looked around for something to use to her advantage, something to let her push back against the creature's unbearable heat. The scion stepped forward. Her eyes darted to the wrecking ball and she smirked.

She pushed against the sluggishness she felt in her bones and jumped over towards the left flank. The wrecking ball looked dangerously hot, and it rolled across the floor as the creature turned to follow her. Grabbing her bottle of water, she uncapped it and sprayed the water into the air, where it seemed to evaporate. Without a second pause, she thrust out a series of quick punches, gusts of wind extending forward and brushing against the wrecking ball. Then she jumped and kicked forward. Another flurry of wind followed. The ball buffeted under the blast, the moisture in the air turning to ice as she landed and drew her hands into rigid claws.

The ice was already melting, but she moved quick, kicking off and slamming against the wrecking ball as hard as she could. "Take that!" she shouted as she bounced off with a powerful gust of wind. The wrecking ball swung back and with it, the rest of the creature followed.

As the creature hobbled closer to the edge, it righted itself and swung its right arm out in a wide arc. Fire streamed along after it. Azula jumped, flipping around the stream, before landing with a loud crash. She slid her foot forward and twisted. The earth underneath the tile rumbled. "I win," Azula declared as she stepped forward along the fault and slammed her heel down.

The scion started forward when the first crack began to form around it. Its head swiveled about to survey the damage. The whole building shuddered as the floor started to crumble around it. Azula smirked at it as it began to slowly lumber forward, fighting against the avalanche of tile and concrete.

It reached its arms out to try and anchor itself to solid ground but the wrecking ball fell back down and pulled it along. It made a loud rumble as it tumbled down to the street. Azula's grin widened triumphantly until with a loud bang, a giant plume of fire rose up outside.

"Finished."

In response, she received a wild applause. "Way to go, Azula! That totally rocked ultimate!"

"I have no idea what that means."

"Anyway!" Xiao said, taking Azula's hand and tugging it, "We should see if the gate's open. With the guardian gone, it should be totally gone, right?"

Azula hesitated before answering, "I suppose," noncommitally. She glanced at the smoldering flames on the ground. It was covered in ash, just like everything else in this facsimile of Ba Sing Se. Everything seemed to have been left to burn. "Let's take a look." There was no harm in it, after all. They approached the stairs, and the door that had once been covered in writhing shadows was now nothing more but an ordinary doorway.

"Hooray! I knew it!"

"Great," Azula said. "We can finally get to this tram station."

"There's one teensy tiny problem," Xiao said. Azula sighed heavily. There was always some sort of problem. "Well, I don't know how to work a tram, do you? Because there's no one else but us in this city. Not one single soul."

"It's likely the power is gone, as well," Azula said, "We'll have to walk. It will take some time, however -"

"Oh," Xiao looked disappointed, "I guess I'll have to ride the tram when I get out of here, right?" Azula shrugged. The doorway opened without a problem into a small metal grate landing over an adjacent alleyway. The metal had been twisted by some intense heat, but it still seemed sturdy. Azula probed it gently with the toe of her shoe, then she slammed down on it. There was a creak and a rattle, but the platform held strong.

"It's fine. Let's go." The platform looked like some old fire escape. They climbed down the ladder to sturdy ground below. Azula glanced. At one end, the sunken street was still covered in flames from the creature's impressive explosion, on the other she could see the street that led to the tram station. It seemed sturdy, pleasantly so, in fact. If it were not for the almost skeleton-like remains of a truck, it would actually not have looked too out of place back in the real Ba Sing Se.

"It's amazing how you defeated that thing," Xiao said, "You're really something, Azula, a real genius!"

"I know," Azula said. "My father made sure I was the best there was. He expected great things from me."

"Is that all you remember about your father, now?"

Azula paused, before answering, "I remember he is gone and that he was not as great a father as he could have been. That is about it. Perhaps it's better that way." Xiao giggled cheerfully as she skipped off ahead.

"Come on, slow poke, we're almost there!"

Azula trudged after the energetic girl. It wasn't surprising considering how long the girl had been locked up, though, was it? She didn't know exactly, but she looked about seven or eight, a tender age, she recalled, though not for her. The chance to be free of this loathesome labyrinth would propel anyone forward.

But Azula was getting tired, and there promised to be nothing but more walking ahead. Xiao was already climbing up the staircase to the tram platform when Azula reached the station entrance. The ticket machines had been thrown to the ground, their coins strewn about the ground, giving the dull and scorched ground a little luster.

The turnstyles had been completely destroyed. Pieces from the device had found their way on top of the ticket booth and even outside. "Azula, hurry! We don't have time!" Azula climbed the stairs after Xiao, who peered down at her the entire time with a mixture of curiosity and adoration on her face.

"Hurry hurry," Azula mocked, "Can't we sit down for five minutes?"

"Hey, we may get to!" Xiao said, "Look!" Xiao pointed to a lonely tram, which sat, lights on and doors open almost invitingly. Azula hesitated. "What's wrong, shouldn't we get going?"

"Why does that thing have power? Nothing else in this city does," Azula glanced at it suspiciously, "I think we're better off walking, Xiao."

"Come on, it's fine! Maybe it's been waiting for us!" She skipped over, and peered inside, "Wow, this thing is so cool. I wonder how many people could squeeze inside one of these things. I bet a lot! Do you ride the trams often? I bet you do, it seems so convenient!"

"Xiao, stay away from that. Xiao!" The girl stepped onto the tram and Azula followed after her, grabbing at her wrist. "Xiao, what did I say?

"It's fine!" Xiao insisted. Azula disagreed. She pulled Xiao along to the doors.

"It is not fine. Something this suspicious is clearly a -" The doors slammed shut and the lights went dark. " - trap." Xiao began to shriek, and Azula could barely hear herself think as the noise of the wheels spinning into motion set in.

Something was driving this thing. "Xiao, be quiet. We'll figure something out." The lights flickered on and off, and the door to the next car swung open. "Just get behind me and stay there." She drew her gun, watching the door for signs of movement. After a moment, she lowered the weapon and approached the door quietly.

"What's going on?" Xiao whined.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Come on." She stepped through the door as the tram picked up speed.

* * *

They were primordial creatures, from before mankind had developed myth and legend. They were the creatures you saw in your nightmares, formless and primal representations of every repressed emotion and instinctual urge in the human body. Sokka had fought them before. They were tough as nails, and they didn't seem to stop no matter how many tentacles he sliced off.

It was times like this he wished his memory wasn't quite as good. They were still hard to kill, even only as shades of long ago. "Azula!" he cried over the hordes. She was somewhere on this floor. He could feel the building shudder.

"_... this is how the air will die_." The voice seemed to carry through the building. Agni spoke, and with it, the Spirits screeched. They moved erratically, madly, their claws seemed to be moving faster than his sword could keep up. A clean slice removed one of the offending limbs, but it seemed like two more always took their place.

"Come on, Azula, I know you're in here somewhere!"

Gunfire rose above the chaos, A cloud of shadow wafted from his right and he turned to see Azula, body beaten and exhaustion written on her face. He'd forgotten how terrible she looked that day. She'd been in the Spirit World so long that it seemed to have been the last straw on her sanity.

Yet she seemed clear and resolute. She had purpose, a bitter one, but purpose nonetheless. "Sokka?" she sounded incredulous, "I thought you were up there stopping Doomsday. What are you doing here?"

"We're not about to leave you behind, Azula." The girl looked surprised.

"I told you, I have redemption to fight for," she said, "Your job is to save the world."

"Let's argue the particulars later," he answered, "Right now, we've got a lot more of these things to take care of. Weren't those spirits helping out?"

"They're around here somewhere," she said, "It's a little difficult to keep track when the place is as thick with monsters as it is, you know?" she smiled mockingly. He chuckled in response, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his head. "I can handle this, Sokka. If you hurry, you'll be able to stop Agni."

"Trust me, we will, just stop arguing and let me help." His sword slid clean through one of the creatures, and he kicked it into the others. The myriad of tentacles, claws, and talons tangled together and squirmed. "This is so gross."

"Welcome to my world," Azula grunted. A blast of fire took out another charging creature that had leapt above its friends to get a swipe at her. "These things are unpredictable at best, absolutely insane at worst."

"I see that. Agni's doing his thing up there. We don't have long until this entire world falls to pieces."

"_Pardon_?"

"No time to explain." He swiped one clean in half as it lunged at Azula. She fired a bullet between eyes seven and twenty-five of the creature behind him. The two slumped and dispersed into darkness. "Let's just say you'll be safer at the top than you'll be down here."

"I can't. We have to fight until the last breath. You cannot afford to waste your time on these things, as I've been saying this whole time."

"I'm totally splitting my time right now," he answered. It sounded quite witty, if he did say so himself. "Watch out!"

"I see it." Blue flames consumed the creature before it could even swipe at them with its blade-like hands. "If you want to help, try clearing up some space for the dragon to do her work. I'm fine over here."

"I'm here to protect you, Azula."

"I don't need protection, and I don't deserve it either," she said, angrily. "I'm doing my part, Sokka, let me pay for what I've done, all right?"

"And what _have_ you done? You may have been wrong, but that doesn't mean you're evil."

Azula scoffed. "I'm pretty evil, Sokka." She leveled her gun at him. "How much do you trust me not to pull this trigger right this instant."

"Pretty much don't think you can," he said. She smirked and fired it at the creatures behind him. "See?"

"Only because I'm running out of bullets." She sighed. "This was a suicide mission from the start, Sokka. You and I both know that."

"Aang held out hope."

"Aang's a moron," she answered. "All the same - thanks. I'm not sure why you're doing this, but thanks." She kicked azure flames up out of the ground, spinning them around in a wide arc. "Now go and help those spirits before we get overrun again!" She charged into the melee, and he lost her somewhere in the scuffle.

He gripped the cold hilt of his blade tightly and carved a path in deeper.

_To be continued._


	27. Descend

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Kodoku o kesu koto ha dekinai kedo kitto wakeau koto ga dekina yo."_

_("We cannot get rid of our loneliness, but I'm sure we can share it with each other.")_

_- Found Me_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 26: **_Descend_

Yue descended.

The world around her washed away and she felt like she was falling, completely blind. The only thing she could sense was an intense sadness, a grief that was all-consuming. She didn't know from where or what, but the sensation filled her with dread, it was all she could sense as she fell.

And then she was still.

She hadn't precisely stopped falling, that would imply a sudden and abrupt end to her descent. Instead, it was more like she'd never been falling at all. She felt her breath catch as if she'd woken from a dream - only to wake up in a nightmare.

There was a blood red haze all about her, and the light of a red star that shone up in the sky. A dry, heavy heat exuded from the ground, permeating the soil, coming up through the grime covered mosaic tile. A nearby pool of water gave off a stagnant stench. Everything was covered in soot and ash.

"Where am I?" she wondered aloud. Her voice echoed around the abandoned building. It was all a little frightening, being alone in this strange place. It all seemed very familiar, like she'd seen it before somewhere. The signs were in disrepair, but as she studied them, she recognized the names of stores she'd visited before.

She'd gone there with some of the girls from the embassy, a long time ago, a different lifetime one could say. It was there she'd spoken with Sokka for the first time. Somehow, she was certain, this was the Ba Sing Se Shopping Center, but she had no idea what had happened to it. The entire place had been devastated, absolutely destroyed.

The storefronts had mostly caved in, some even looked quite hazardous to approach. Electrical wiring had been displaced, swinging dangerously around. She had no idea if they had any power left, but she didn't want to find out. The only place that seemed remotely welcoming was a small antique store. Aunt Wu's - she knew that name. Katara had mentioned her before.

She walked inside. Her senses went wild. The place was a mess, pieces of glass had been strewn everywhere,and everywhere she looked, she could feel Azula's presence assaulting her. The shattered mirrors, some covered up, others merely thrown to the ground, spoke of something terrible happening here.

"Oh, Azula," she said, "Were you here?" She let out a sharp gasp as she saw on the ground, leading towards the back, a trail of blood drops. Azula must have hurt herself on the glass, but it didn't make any sense.

The back door was open, leading into an empty alleyway. Azula must have left through the back. If anyone could explain what happened, it would be Azula. "Please be all right, Azula," she prayed. She hurried out into the street, and saw the corrupted Ba Sing Se for the first time, saw the collapsed buildings, the streets torn up and the scorch marks across the sidewalk.

"Oh my, what - why is everything destroyed? What happened here?"

* * *

Azula had to wonder the same thing. Despite the tram door opening, the place seemed largely devoid of power. She scoured the area. This felt like a trap, everything about it sat heavy with her. Xiao scurried up behind her and bumped into her. "Don't do that!" Azula snapped. She cocked a brow as Xiao let out a yelp.

"Sorry! I'm just scared!"

"Well you should have thought of that before you ran ahead when I specifically told you not to. Do you think this is some sort of game, Xiao?" The place smelled of smoldering ashes. The seats were torn up, the advertisements had been incinerated, and the metal poles had been twisted and melted. From time to time, Azula would catch a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of her eye. "I would not be surprised if another of those so-called Scions has set us a trap."

"But! But!"

"You think I'm wrong?"

"No," Xiao admitted, "But I didn't even think of that! Why are you so smart and so cool, Azula? You don't seem to be afraid of anything!" Azula jerked her head to the side as Xiao lavished praises upon her. Something was in here, that much was certain. Whatever it was, it seemed to keep low to the ground, slithering like a python. "What's wrong?"

Azula glances back, before murmuring, "We're being watched."

"By who?"

"I'd like to find out that myself," Azula answered. She felt something brush past her leg and glanced down. Whatever it had been was already long gone, but it felt like rubber against her leg. The door on the far end of the room slid open as the other slid shut.

"_Thank you for choosing Ba Sing Se Transit,_" the familiar pre-recorded message sounded. The tram buckled across the old stone tracks. It was surprisingly sturdy for something built centuries upon centuries past. "_Ba Sing Se Transit reminds you to be considerate of others and to dispose of your trash in the proper fas- HI-o-n_."

The voice slowed to a crawl, and it was replaced by loud static noise across the speakers. "Owies," Xiao moaned. "Too loud."

Underneath the static, Azula could hear voices - familiar voices, even - but voices she hadn't heard for years. An almost forgotten longing filled her heart, and just when she thought she could hear the voice clearly, the static stopped, replaced with a hideous shriek.

Then, the speakers died away into nothing. "What happened?" Xiao asked. "Did someone break the speakerphone or something?"

Azula didn't know. She didn't answer. Instead, she focused on moving forward. Whatever had happened, it was clear that they wanted her to move further. The only way out of this trap was through.

The speaker in the car fell to the ground suddenly. Azula whipped around at the sound. She saw the speaker on the floor and glanced up. A tendril or tentacle of some sort wormed its way out from where the speaker had been attached, and arced into the ceiling, burrowing away into it and leaving nothing behind but a shower of sparks.

"What was _that_?" Xiao's eyes were wide with fright. "Is that the Scion?"

"Possibly," Azula said, "Or a part of it."

"Where did it go? How did it do that?" Azula shrugged. She didn't have any answers for Xiao. She just stepped forward towards the next car, prepared to pounce. She noticed the draft first, but it took her by surprise to see the entire left side of the car blown out.

"Xiao, be very, very careful," she said, "I will not be catching you if you fall." She felt Xiao wrap her arms tightly around her legs and turned back, her eyes burning a hole into the top of the frightened girl's head. "Let go this instant."

The girl apprehensively released her hold and stared up at Azula with teary eyes. "I'm sorry, I just got scared." Azula glancd at the barely attached remains of the seats on the left side, and was taken by just how fast they were going. The tram tracks looped around Ba Sing Se and were something of a tourist attraction because of it.

She could see the other end of the loop from between the shattered remains of burnt out buildings. Though they seemed largely in tact, there were stalled trams on the tracks. Whatever powered this tram had not affected the tracks or the other trams in the slightest. "We have to hurry," Azula said.

They were on a collision course.

"_Thank you for choosing Ba Sing Se Transit. Next stop: Weng Square._" Azula groaned angrily. They didn't have long if they were already at Weng Square. She kicked off into a run when the speaker descended back into static.

"_A- zul -"_

That voice spoke again, the same exact voice, but clearer this time. Azula wasted no time, drawing her weapon and firing it at the speaker. The voice was replaced by a static shriek, and the same exact trendril burst out from behind it. This one flopped to the ground, rolling on its side as electricity slowly drained out. "You got it!" Xiao said, clinging desperately to the melted down poles as she walked after Azula. "What is it?"

"Electrical wiring, incredibly high voltage and heavy duty," Azula said after giving it a cursory glance. "Whatever this scion is, I think it's safe to say it's the power source. This is rather disconcerting."

"Are you scared?"

"Of course not."

"Of course not! Since it's you!"

"Precisely," Azula answered. "I've survived worse. Regardless, whatever is responsible for this must be at the front of the next car. I imagine we'll face some resistance inside." She approached the door apprehensively. It remained slid shut. "If this door ever opens."

"Behind us!" XIao shouted. Azula glanced back and then ducked to the ground when she saw the tendril shoot out from the floor and at the door. A ring of sparks flashed and it was gone, leaving not even a charred ring where it entered. After a minute, the light above the door began to flicker to life and the door slid open with a cheerful 'ding.'

"Rather unexpected," Azula observed, before striding into the front car. Xiao followed behind her closely. "Be alert, Xiao. This room will most likely be very dangerous, especially since this guardian is nearby."

"If you say so," Xiao said. The car rattled as the speed picked up again. It was a miracle the car hadn't derailed yet. The city of Ba Sing Se was blurring past the windows. Red and black smudged together, and the only constant was the red star in the sky.

She took a step forward, and out of the floor a winding tendril jut out inches in front of her. Sparks landed on the toe of her shoes before dissipating. The tendril wound up around Azula and disappeared back into the ceiling. XIao stuttered out a frightened squeak, and as the tendril vanished, they heard a tone from the speakers.

"_Attention all travelers on the Jasmine Line -" _the static began to overwhelm the speaking voice. But regardless, it continued, "_-End of- Line - End - End - End - End-"_

It repeated it as another voice vied to drown it out, a woman's voice, ever so familiar and yet, somehow, her memory refused to acknowledge it. "_Azula, I really tried-"_

And then all was silenced by that terrible shriek, echoing like a laugh, shutting off the static. The speaker seemed to explode as four tendrils burst out of it, lining around the door to the control room. They seemed to glow neon colors.

They were pulsing with electricity. "This is a conundrum."

"What do we do, Azula?"

"We'll have to sever them from their power source somehow," Azula answered. She surveyed the car, then checked her gun. She was dangerously low on bullets now. She really wished she'd taken more the last time they'd been in the dorm.

She wondered if she could make an airbending slice wide enough to take them all out. She had been leaning rather hard on Airbending in lieu of Firebending, but she still lacked Aang's finesse with the style.

It was worth a try. "I need some room, Xiao. Stand back." Xiao took a step back as Azula widened her stance and swung her arms around to gather up the wind in front of her and cut a long slice through it. The displacement and the movement sent the wave slicing across the car and cutting right through two of the electrified tendrils.

The loud shriek sounded from behind the door, pained and angry. The other tendrils retracted into the wall and the door slid open slowly. The room inside was pitch black. "Do we step in?" Xiao asked.

"Wait here," Azula answered.

"But!"

"Do you think you can hold your own in a fight?" Azula asked, testily. "No? Then, leave this to me. I told you, you're a liability."

"Oh, okay," she answered, forlornly. "Since it's you, I'll just wait here."

"Good. I'll be back when I stop this tram." She stepped through the door, and it closed behind her. The only light she saw came from the window, the red light seemed especially intense against the pitch inside. A shape seemed to crawl, captured in silhouette against the red skyline. Two points of light shone through.

There were noises all around her, wriggling noises and the buzz of electricity, the entire car seemed to be moving, as her eyes started to adjust. With a flicker, the shapes started to shine off neon lights of orange, red, blue, and green.

Slinking about the front of the car, the Priestess Scion wrapped her long, elegant arms around the control box, her silk mask white and and midnight blue, moving like waves in the ocean as she stared at Azula.

With a terrible electric shriek, she tore her claws into the controls.

* * *

Katara Floes was face to face with Katara Floes. The other girl was younger, her eyes a wild with controlled panic, and she was waiting intently for her instructions. "Take a deep breath," she instructed, "And let's start from the beginning."

Rain ran off her fingers as they held them spread out in front of her. Her younger self followed her lead. "Let's just take it slow," Katara continued, "Feel the water, push it towards her, let it wash over the wound."

The roar of thunder was loud and close, but it didn't break the older Katara's concentration. "You have to clear your head of distractions. You just need to feel the flow of water through your fingers."

"Okay," Katara the younger squeaked. She was highstrung, but a lot had happened. Her dormmate nearly got herself killed and she was now facing herself. Katara had to consciously remind herself that she wasn't real. "I got it. This is easy."

"Well, don't get too confident yet," Katara answered with a grin, "That was the easy part, after all. This is where things get a bit more complicated. Lay your hands on the wound and feel the flow of her _chi_ through the water. Do you understand?"

"Not really."

"You'll know it when you feel it," Katara said, patiently. "It's one of the greatest gifts of Waterbending, to be able to feel the flow of life, and to encourage it and turn its ebb to a flow." The other Katara looked over at her incredulously. "Focus!"

"Okay, okay." The other Katara returned to her bending, washing the wound with the rainwater. For a moment, she seemed frustrated. "This isn't working."

"Patience. You won't feel anything if you do't focus. Azula is counting on you, Katara, don't let her down."

"But - but I don't even like her."

Katara winced. "It doesn't matter whether or not you like her or not, she needs you right now, Katara."

"Wouldn't it make everything easier if she didn't -" the young Katara looked up to see her older self just staring at her incredulously. The older girl's thoughts were screaming at her, telling her something was wrong.

"-Just because something's easier doesn't make it right," she answered snappily. "I can't believe I'd ever think something like that." Azula groaned as a light blue glow emitted from the water around the younger Katara's hand. The girl was stunned. "That's it!"

"What is this?" she said.

"You can feel it now, the flow of _chi,_ I mean?" Katara's younger self nodded in response. Encouraged, Katara continued. "Good. Bend it like you would in your exercises. Push and pull, take in the bad and spread out the good, let it flow through you."

"I, I think I feel it!"

Azula managed a low groan, and her eyes fluttered open briefly, her eyes focusing in on the hands that were pressed against her. "Katara?" she managed to grunt before her eyes drooped shut again.

"Azula!" the relief in the younger Katara's voice was familiar, like a forgotten memory. Maybe Sokka was right with his weird theory, Katara admitted. But if that was the case, where did that strange question come from. She couldn't remember having any doubts that day, even if it was a while ago.

Still, it would have been easier, wouldn't it? The thought was an insidious beast, sneaking past her better judgment and taunting her. It would have been so much easier, they would never have had to worry about her betrayal, or all the times they cowered in fear of her and the Phoenix Group. Things wouldn't have been the same, but they would have been easier.

"I'm glad it all worked out," she told the younger Katara, despite her own reservations. Even in the maze, Azula had been cold, distant, and causing as much trouble as she got them out of. Still, she couldn't imagine leaving Azula to die. "She deserves a second chance."

"You really think so?" the younger Katara asked.

"Well, yes. And I'm you, so I guess that means you think so too," she paused, then, quickly, she amended, "Well, you will, I guess. Either way, I'm just glad she's okay. She'll be okay, but she needs professional help, for sure. Who knows what all that electricity could have done."

"You're right, I should go and call them before anything - I'll go do that right now," Her entire posture had changed to something more awkward. Now that the tension had died down, she seemed a lot less nervous and more confused and Katara couldn't blame her - or herself, or however it went.

"Still," Katara said after her younger self disappeared into the building, "It's better than the last twin."

* * *

Zuko descended, but not at first. The entire hospital had become unbearably warm to him, suddenly. "Are you all right?" Ursa asked. She leaned forward, examining him quickly with a critical but motherly glance, "You look like you have a fever."

"I'm fine." He rubbed his forehead, surprised by the moistness under his hairline. Azula and Ursa didn't seem to mind the heat that was threatening to take him to a boil. "I just - isn't it hot in here?"

"Nuh-uh," Azula said. "Mom, come on, let's go."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. You should probably get back, anyway," Zuko winced under the heat. It was like standing under a blazing sun in the middle of a desert, and getting hotter. "Maybe they've got some news."

"Well, if you're sure." Ursa smiled kindly. It all seemed like some kind of bizarre fever dream to Zuko, almost unreal, just seeing her like that. Still, he returned her smile. "Come along, Azula."

When they were gone, he quickly looked for a bathroom. The heat was exploding, growing in intensity by the second. He needed to cool down.

Glancing around, everything seemed distorted. The walls were melting, their white paint turning sickly yellow as it dripped down. The floor seemed to dissolve around him, turning into a molten liquid under foot, and he could feel himself slowly sink down.

He reached out but there was nothing to grab. Everything was melting away, falling down - and he was falling with it. The hospital became a blur of white, and he fell. It was more like a feather dropping, slowly flitting down.

The only point of reference he had was the swirling of white that fell in front of him, extending further than he could see. Otherwise, he was alone in a vast sea of black. The only thing he felt was the sensation in the pit of his stomach like a dream of falling.

And like a dream, it ended. Around him everything was caught in a red haze, and the heat he felt before was now a distant yet strangely vivid memory. There was still a lingering heat, but he paid it no mind as he started to acclimate to his surroundings and find them disturbingly familiar. The tables were a mess of twisted metal, but even in their distorted form, he could tell them at a glance. The wall stalls had been completely collapsed, and the main register had long since been torn off the counter - even the wallpaper had somehow clung to the walls, but had been torn and broken down by disrepair - this was the tea house. He'd worked there too long not to recognize it.

It was a disaster, but he felt strangely comfortable in this place.

"Hello?"

He went to the door and peeked out. Someone had called out, but glancing around, he couldn't see anyone. A large chasm had formed along the plaza. "Zuko, could you please help me, I seem to have missed my jump -"

He turned his gaze downwards. two sets of hands clung desperately to the remains of the pavement. "Yue?" He knelt down and peeked over the ledge. There the Moon spirit dangled above a river of sludgy sewage. "What did you do?"

"If it's all the same, I would gladly discuss this when I am not slowly losing my grip."

Zuko only paused a second to consider this before bashfully coughing and grabbing her by the wrists. A few minutes later, he'd managed to salvage some chairs and they were seated in the tea house.

She was breathing heavily, apparently she'd tried and failed to pull herself over the ledge and it had left her winded. "Where are we, exactly?" he asked. After a moment of heavy breathing, she still seemed unable to answer. "Take your time." He stood up and examined the tea house.

She coughed. "I'm sorry." Another cough interruted her, and she cleared out her throat. "I just did not expect the jump to be quite as far as it was. I even made sure to have a good running start."

"It's okay." He seemed distracted by the frame of the door. Yue followed him as he traced it around and peered around it. "So -"

"Your questio, of course." She sat up straight, "We're still inside the maze."

"That's a relief."

"I agree." She glanced sideways at the twisted metal table. "I sensed Azula here, but I couldn't follow her across the chasm. I fear she does not wish to be followed."

"Or someone else doesn't want us to,." Zuko turned back to Yue, and he shrugged. "Anyway. Azula's here, that's great." He didn't sound very excited, Yue thought, but didn't say anything. "But what now?"

"All I can say is we must keep following her. You gave me quite a surprise when you suddenly fell into existence."

"Yeah, I had a long drop - or something."

"I know exactly how you mean." She smiled,, somewhat forlornly. "I suppose I was thrown into one of those collective memories Sokka was speaking of. It still seems almost like we were transported to the past, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I saw my mother waiting for me the night of the accident." He paused, before adding, "It was awkward."

"I suppose we're seeing Azula's memories."

"Yeah, maybe." He grunted and pointed down the hall. "The back way's this way. You think she went out this door?"

"Yes, I think so." She hesitated. She wasn't sure how to bring it up, but slowly, she broached the subject. "I'm worried about Azula's mental state. Ever since we entered the maze it's been deteriorating almost to the point it was after her extended stay in the Spirit World."

Zuko glanced over his shoulder. She wasn't sure she wanted to continue under his intimidating gaze, but she took a deep breath and said, "I think we should be prepared for her to be erratic. You saw the damage to the tea house. Some of it was new.:"

"We don't know that."

"I saw Aunt Wu's store when I arrived in this place," Yue answered, undeterred, "Mirrors were broken everywhere. She was already seeing things that weren't there before, perhaps it's gotten worse?"

"And perhaps there's some good reason for it," Zuko retorted. He paused. Whatever he was thinking weighed heavily at him, his shoulders sunk, and his head bowed. "Whatever the case, we won't know until we find her."

"You're right. We should have faith in her."

* * *

Its claws tore into the control panel, tearing the power cords out as electricity pulsed through its body. It turned its empty amber eyes towards Azula as it did, almost coy in its posture even though it seemed entirely animalistic.

There was a jolt and Azula nearly lost her balance as the tram began to accelerate rapidly. The scion wrested its claws from the box, letting the cords flop lifelessly to the ground. From the back of the scion's head, tendrils extended to the ceiling like strands of hair. It moved with feline grace, a predator unnaturally slinking across the floor. Its back arched as it stretched.

Azula reached for her gun before deciding against it. Instead, she launched herself into a waterbending stance. The tendrils writhed around the walls like a neon jungle, and the guardian disappeared into their tangle like a tiger. "Come out." She waited, anxiously. She worked best under pressure, she contested. She would strike before it could.

The tendrils on the ceiling lashed down at her, their ends sparking like livewires. She'd experienced electrocution before - even if she couldn't recall the circumstances surrounding it - and she had no intention of experiencing it again. She slid to the side, then turned on her heel. Water wormed its way out of her bottle, ad with an arc of her hand sprayed against the tendrils.

They writhed almost as if they experienced pain, and from inside the tangled mess of lights and wires the scion screamed a lonesome, pained sound. Azula's eyes scanned the area. She was sure she'd heard it come from this direction. The water wrapped around her, anticipating the attack.

The creature pounced before she could react, appearing out of thin air from outside of the tangle. Electricity coursed through its body. Azula barely moved in time. She struck as she moved, but the scion was too quick, darting underneath the wide spray of water and appearing right in front of her in one fluid motion.

Azula stepped back, pulling the water back towards her as she did. It moved low to the ground underneath the arc of water, prepared to pounce again. Azula took another step back, twisting her ankle gently after. The guardian swiped one of its clawed hands forward and Azula swung her whole body to the side.

Tendrils from the wall pried themselves loose and after her, neon lights shining brightly. The scion made a low and ghastly screech while stretching across the ground. The tendrils on the back of its head seemed to quiver.

More tendrils shot out of the ceiling around Azula. Every inch coursed with power. Moving her hands in a close circle, she spun the water out around her, then with careful precision, she released small bursts of water at each of the incoming tendrils, drawing her hands stiff as she did. The tendrils writhed and then froze stiff as the water turned to ice.

The scion screeched again. This time it was the painful, hurt variety. It sounded more like a series of clicks and tones to her, but all the same, she could make out the pain pretty clearly from the way its body convulsed. Then, it turned its eyes to Azula.

"Water really hurts you. I wonder what will happen if I get some on you."

Intimidation didn't seem to work. The scion just stared right back at Azula with unblinking eyes.

"I guess you're not as smart as those Strangers." Azula readied herself. The scion slunk around her in a wide circle, walking on all fours. The tendrils on its head quivered and Azula glanced around. The walls seemed to be closing in. They were sparking with electricity.

The tendrils burst out from the ground, arcs of electricity crawling out from where they emerged. Azula narrowed her eyes. The scion pounced without warning. Azula responded in turn. She jumped back, nearly colliding with a tendril that pounced down on her, descending into the ground with another electrical splash. Azula rolled away. She drew more water from her bottle and readied it to counter attack.

The scion sliced through the air with sparking claws. Azula moved to the side then pushed the water in a ball forward. The scion slunk after Azula, ignoring the ball of water in favor of a wide-open target. Azula grinned, her stance not wavering.

Push, then pull - the very basics of waterbending were the only things she could really rely on. Katara would have probably finished this with more grace, but the scion's eyes were reward enough. The water pulled back at Azula's command and then it was over. the electricity that was contained within the scion's frame burst forth in a blinding flash.

When her eyes recovered, she found nothing but the burnt remains of the scion's mask. The tendrils were gone from the walls, and she could see out into the city again. She nearly missed the red haze of the ancient sun.

The tram continued to barrel forward, even without the scion to power it. "This is bad," Azula observed. She ran to the control panel, which was torn but not broken. The claw marks made it difficult to read, and there were so many different buttons to press.

She had to trust her instinct.

She pressed a button. In the time it took for her heart to beat, the brakes slowly engaged. The stalled tram ahead loomed dangerously as they grew closer. The two trams collided wtih a thump, the force slowing the tram to a complete stop.

"Azula!"

Xiao pushed into the front of the car and grabbed Azula's hand. "Xiao." There were too many questions, she couldn't ignore it any longer. "Why are you under such tight guard?"

"Well, you see," Xiao looked apprehensively at the remains of the scion's mask. "Can we talk while we move? We're almost there, I can feel it!"

Azula was about to protest when she thought better of it. "Then talk." She pried open the door and climbed down to the walkway adjacent to the track. "We have plenty of time while we walk to the station."

"Okay. Well, you see." Xiao jumped off the tram and landed in an undignified pile. "Ow. These scions are a part of that thing at the center of the maze."

"So this darkness in the center of the maze doesn't want you to leave. Is there any particular reason you're not telling me? How did you even get here, in the first place?"

"I told you, I don't remember. I've always been here, Azula. Always and forever. You should know that by now! Anyway, I don't know why the thing doesn't like me, but I guess that's just how it goes. It's evil, it doesn't need a reason to do what it does. Does it?"

"Spoken like a true child. Nothing in this world is absolute evil."

"But we're not in your world anymore," Xiao countered, all while wagging her finger. "You don't know if this world has true evil or not because you're not from here. Anyway, these scions are made up of cast off thoughts and feelings of those who enter the maze. The closer we get to the center of the maze, the more powerful and plentiful they become."

"And what about the Strangers? Are they parts of this darkness as well?"

"No, not really," Xiao admitted. Then, she added with a big smile, "They're more like its food."

Azula didn't ask for any further details. Instead, she spent most of her time watching the rickety old walkway creak in the wind. The trams had stopped just outside of the last station on the line. It was near the business district in the lower ring. They took an awfully circuitous route around the city, Azula thought, to end up so close back to the dorm

"What's the matter?" Xiao looked up at her curiously.

"I'm just wondering where we're even going."

"Oh, didn't I tell you?"

"I suppose it must have slipped your mind between all of the scions and other business." Azula crossed her arms. She was not impressed. "Where are we going, Xiao?"

"We're going to your school!"

The school? There was a rather long path to the school through the lower ring - quite a few students received education there that couldn't afford the dormitory housing for one reason or another - but it was hardly the most convenient way. "And no doubt there are two more of those monsters on the way?"

"That's right!"

"I'm growing tired of this."

"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon. You beat the first three, the last two shouldn't be any trouble at all!" The station was nearby. It took a moment to climb up, but the old tram station looked rather intact for something in the city. The chairs had been completely demolished and most of the ceiling had lost its tiling, but the actual roof was surprisingly in one piece. Even the ash seemed to be less concentrated inside.

"Damage doesn't look so bad."

"Just don't look down!" Xiao teased. Azula's eyes immediately turned to the floor. What at first glance seemed to be a complete floor was, on closer inspection, full of crumbling holes and a nasty drop to the street below. "Hurry!" Xiao rushed across the floor, her light weight making it effortless.

Azula took longer, keeping her balance along small strips of steady ground by keeping her arms outstretched. "Hurry, hurry!" Xiao tapped her foot impatiently as she waited by the stairway. Azula slowed down, simply to punish her impertinence.

"Come on!" She sighed boredly. "We've got to get there soon!"

Azula narrowed her eyes. "Soon? You seem in an awful big rush all of a sudden."

"We're nearly there, Azula! Let's just keep pressing forward until we reach the goal! Two more to go! Two more to go!"

Azula rolled her eyes. Stepping onto the staircase, she finally felt firmly on solid ground. Xiao was down the stairs practically sliding on the rail as she went. The girl was in more of a rush than ever, even in spite of the trap they'd fallen into last time.

She didn't take long to take in her surroundings. The Upper Ring may have been devastated, but the Lower Ring had been obliterated. There were very few standing buildings, most of them had been leveled down to their foundation. They riddled the streets with rectangular pits, and if it weren't for the sturdier, new structures, the entire area would have seemed like something in the center of the desert.

The wind swept ash over the streets. The red sun's oppressive heat bore down on them more intense than before, and the red haze seemed to radiate from the ground. Unlike the Upper Ring, there were few if any vehicles around the street. A bicycle, or the remains of one, had been thrown into the center of the street, its singular wheel spinning and squeaking in the wind.

Xiao slowed down "Eerie." She tentatively fell into step behind Azula. "So, when we get out of here, you promise not to abandon me, right?"'

"Abandon you?"

Xiao nodded. "It just seems like everyone gets abandoned outside of here. Inside, we need each other, but once we're free, I feel like you don't need me anymore and you'll forget me all over again."

"You cannot rely on anyone but yourself."

"I know, but I'm not strong enough yet."

Azula groaned. "I promise not to abandon you. Does that make you feel better?"

"Do you really mean it?"

Azula grunted at angrily at the question. Wasn't it enough to just say so? "Yes, of course I do. Don't be stupid."

Xiao became quiet, casting a glance over at Azula before directing her gaze to the pavement, finding interest in the holes riddled into the ground. The toppled remains of buildings blocked off most of the byways and shortcuts Azula knew of, and the old shopping district seemed a little lonesome without the crowds, even a little creepy.

They passed by a lonesome automobile and came to a pile of rubble. It was a dangerous looking hunk of metal and concrete that came from a nearby ruined building. Most of the building seemed to have fallen straight into the road. "This was the way to the school," Azula said. She glanced around and waved Xiao to follow her. "I know a roundabout way through to the other side."

"Couldn't we just climb?"

"Structure's too unstable. We're more likely to get ourselves impaled on something."

Xiao followed Azula down the alleyway, and onto another parallel street. The buildings on this end had fared better, but there was still less of them left standing than she'd seen anywhere. "Whatever this city is meant to be, it certainly didn't like this neck of town."

"No, it most certainly didn't," Xiao agreed. While Azula glanced down the broken down alleyways, Xiao fell out of step with the older girl, glancing around. She seemed bored, and Azula would sometimes catch her yawning.

"This way."

Xiao jogged after Azula, trying to catch up. The girl had ducked into an alley and disappeared. Running as quickly as she could, she nearly stumbled right into Azula, who had stopped on the other end of the alley. "Why did you run off like that."

"You weren't paying attention. Be thankful there wasn't another guardian just lying in wait for you to get distracted."

"Oh."

Azula straightened herself out. "It's important to be alert and punctual, Xiao. Who knows what could sneak up and surprise you." There was a low rumble as Azula spoke, low enough for her to miss, but Xiao's ears pricked.

"Azula, I don't think -"

"Just remember what I said in the future," Azula continued, "I won't wait up next time."

"That's fine, but Azula -"

"What?" The rumble grew louder and Azula glanced back to see what it was. In the distance, the pile of rubble seemed to quiver and quake. Small pieces of debris fell off and rolled along the pock-marked street. "What is that?" Azula wondered.

"I don't know."

"We better hurry."

"I agree."

They started down the street as the wall gave way. The debris scattered as a six wheeled vehicle burst out of it. It barely even slowed as it passed by, squeeling loudly as its wheels burned rubber against the pavement. The green paint flecked with red rust and twisted black singes barely received a ding from the small pieces of concrete ad metal that banged against it as it tore down the street.

At the front of the car, a leather mask that seemed constructed from several other masks, had been awkwardly placed. It shone its off-color lights through the haze. Azula glanced back over her shoulder. There was no way they would be able to outrun it. It got closer and closer with every passing second.

"Xiao, we need to find someplace to hide."

"But where?"

"I don't know. We just need to get off the road." The imploded buildings alongside the road gave very little cover. The scion was already driving over the remains of burnt out automobiles as it went. It seemed to devour them, adding pieces to its frame, leaving nothing behind but the scavenged skeleton.

As a result, it was getting larger. A pile of rubble would only be a minor speed-bump to the monstrous vehicle. Azula needed something more intact, something with actual structure that the scion wouldn't just tear to shreds.

And they needed it now. She could hear the rumble of the engine right in her ears. "Come on!" Xiao pointed Azula towards a building, some old tenement building that had somehow been spared, "In here!"

Azula pushed Xiao inside and tumbled to the ground as the vehicle zoomed by at a hundred and sixty-five miles per hour. "Somehow," Azula said as she stood herself upright, "It does not surprise me that even devoid of all life, Ba Sing Se drivers are the worst on the planet."

Xiao tittered happily. "You're funny, Azula!"

"I've been known to have my moments." Azula supposed a momentary bit of narcissism wouldn't hurt. "Anyhow, we have only a matter of minutes before that thing turns around and plows through here."

"What do we do?"

"We need to find a permanent way to end this menace." She glanced around the building. The door had long since fallen out of the frame, and the entire place seemed hollow, but the interior had survived the devastation strangely in one piece. There was a hole in the ceiling that exposed a bedroom overhead. A bedframe that had long been devoid of a matress hung precariously atop it.

Altogether, it seemed rather ill-equipped for dealing with that monster car. She'd have to improvise. "XIao, I think you'd better -"

"Hide?" Xiao crossed her arms, "No! I'm going to help you this time!"

"You'll probably end up run over."

"I don't care!" Xiao said, "I'm not some helpless little girl!"

Azula opened her mouth to argue when a bright light came in through the empty windowframes. "Fine," she hissed, "But I won't wait up for you if you fall behind." She grabbed the girl and squatted down low.

"What are you doing?" Xiao asked.

"You'll see."

The wall crumbled as the vehicle drove right into the common room, and Azula lept up through the hole in the ceiling, carrying a screaming Xiao the whole way. She kicked the already teetering bedframe over, sending it hurtling down towards the waiting scion. Then, she dove out a window, and back to the streets below. The car was already beginning to pull itself around. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes," Azula retorted. She landed, the earth jutting up around her like a splash. She kicked one of the large jutting stones towards the vehicle, then bounded off the flat of another, taking off down the road. "I need to put you down now." But even saying that, Xiao clung tighter. "Xiao, I need my hands free."

"But this is scary!"

"Do you trust me, Xiao?" The girl nodded apprehensively at the question, "Then follow my lead and don't get left behind. I promise you won't get hurt."

"You pinky swear?"

"Sure, why not." Azula shrugged. She put the girl down and then broke into a dash. "Come on!"

Xiao followed after as fast as her small legs could take her. She took a glance over her shoulder. The car was already fast approaching, the stone Azula had fired sticking right out of one of its headlights. "Azula, it's gaining!"

"I know already!" She turned suddenly into an alleyway. "This way!"

Xiao turned after her, only to see the alley led to a dead end. "Azula, what are you doing?"

"I'm improvising, clearly." She leapt up into the cradle of a fire escape. She kicked the rusted ,ladder down. "Climb up here. Trust me."

"Uh, okay." She grabbed hold of the rungs and tried to scurry up to Azula. All too quickly, things seemed to go wrong. The car squealed as it turned and then accelerated into the alleyway. It took out the building on the other side without a second thought, and the fire escape started to shudder as the wall it was attached too slowly crumbled. "Azula!"

"Get up here now!" Azula's eyes never once left the vehicle, even as she barked out her orders. "This is almost precisely how I expected this to happen." Xiao braved the quiverig ladder, and soon climbed up besides Azula. "Get ready to jump."

Xiao glanced over at Azula. "Okay, since it's you, but what was the point of this?"

"Buying us time. No matter how much power it has under the hood - now!" She leapt off the walkway and Xiao clumsily followed. " - Excellent, now, where was I? Oh yes. No matter how much power it has under the hood, it cannot easily remove itself from the rubble of two buildings."

The car did seem to struggle, its wheels squealing in protest at the action . "Wow. You're amazing."

"Yes, I know." Azula glanced down the street. "We need some distance. I still haven't found a suitable place."

Xiao started to ask what she meant, but before she could even open her mouth, Azula broke into a sprint. Xiao felt her lungs protest, her legs were already starting to ache and her feet were going to blister. Still, she followed after, since it was Azula after all. She had no other choice.

* * *

The rainwater had grown heavier. To Katara, the entire world seemed to be a blur of muddy colors, swirling together like a watercolor painting. The horizon was one long blur of black and grey.

Her hair stuck to her head as the rain ran heavily down her nose. "I don't remember it ever getting this bad." She looked for someplace to get some cover from the rain. She didn't want to move Azula, since the girl was still unconscious from her shock, but if they didn't move the rain would soak them to the bone.

She reached to lift Azula by the shoulders when her hands went right through. Azula's uniform dissolved into a red and black puddle through Katara's fingertips. She gasped, jumping back. The rain was washing Azula away, and it mixed into puddles that had formed at the corner of the roof. The roof itself seemed to be dripping away down to the streets below, where the people had slowly begun to drip to the ground, washing the roads in a myriad of faded colors.

In fact, the only thing in the city of Ba Sing Se of any substance was herself. "This isn't right." She rushed for the door, but the handle splashed away as her hand swatted at it. There was no door out of this memory, no way back into the maze. She shoved her way through the door, raining a pale blue splash down on her head as she did.

The rain had already come in through the ceiling, and it flowed rather heavily down the staircase. The torrential downpour was stripping away the floor. Soon, large holes had formed, pouring water down with increasing intensity. Katara had no choice but to descend.

But there was no way to outrun the rain. The water was rising, and the world itself seemed intent on melting away into a rainbow stream. She waded through watercolor memories, an entire day washed away by the rain.

Her foot burst through the floor. It stayed, caught, and she struggled to free it. "Not now," she pled. Aroud her, the ceiling began to bulge as the rain started to push down in greater force. the water that had only come up to ankles swelled with the crashing of the ceiling,. Reds and blues and browns and greys mixed together swirling as the water slowly climbed higher and higher.

Katara raised her chin, trying to keep her head above the water as more and more rain She hoped for a miracle.

Then the bottom gave out.

Her foot was free as the rest of the floor around it dissolved into the rain. She and the rainwater fell, descending through an empty expanse. She opened her mouth to speak but she could make no noise.

Sound and light seemed to be sucked downwards into the darkness. It was like a blackhole where nothing could outrun it. She fell and she fell until she was no longer falling. The disorientation lasted only a second. The blackness was gone, her feet were dry, and she found herself in a tram. "What happened." She glanced around. The seat had been torn up pretty bad, but not as bad as the other side of the car. The entire side was missing. Thankfully, the thing wasn't mobile. She could reach a walkway if she hopped.

There were footsteps coming along it. Clanking and creaking, and yet the walkway seemed sturdy. She glanced down the length of the track. She could make out two figures in the red haze. They seemed human enough, so she stepped down. "Hello?" she called down. The figures stopped, and one of them called back.

"Katara!"

"Yue!" She ran down to meet them. Yue met her halfway, the relief evident in her face. "Am I glad to see you!"

"As am I! Zuko was telling me what happened after I vanished - I was worried you were hurt."

"I'm just glad you two are okay. You scared me half to death!"

Zuko grunted, rolling his eyes. He tried to remain nonchalant, but he couldn't quite fight back the smirk. "I suppose we should expect the others to turn up soon."

"I hope so." Katara took a look at the city of Ba Sing Se as it spread out around them. "Where are we?"

"We're not quite sure," Yue said, her smile fading, "All I know is that Azula has come this way. We heard the tram from the tea house."

"The tram?" Katara looked over at the trams. "You mean this one?"

"Looks like it stopped in time. That's good. I don't know what Azula is doing." Zuko started down the walkway again. "We shouldn't stick around in one place. We haven't encountered any spirits or any of those things since we got here, but I don't want to take any chances."

"That makes sense. Is Azula far?"

"She got a large lead on us," Yue said, "I can sense her moving, but it's erratic and confusing. I don't know what it is about this maze, but I keep seeing her in two places at once. I must be getting some sort of interference."

Zuko shrugged. "It's probably that thing you mentioned."

"What thing?"

Yue puffed out her cheeks as she blew out air. "I didn't really want to bring it up, but Zuko's right. I sense something, something large nearby."

"How large is large?"

"Big, large, huge," Zuko answered. "We're getting close to the center of the maze."

"And hopefully to the bottom of this. I'm tired of everything trying to kill us. We don't even know how long we've been in here." Katara fell into stepp beside Zuko. "Nothing in this maze is ever as it seems."

"No kidding."

They walked under a blood red haze towards the station house. They cast fatigue from their thoughts and continued walking towards the center, finding Azula foremost in their minds. "She'd better be all right," Katara said. "I've saved her life one too many times for her to die now."

She laughed, but the air around them remained heavy. The city of Ba Sing Se stood a bitter shadow of the world they knew.

* * *

Sokka became one with his blade. It'd been a while since he'dn fought like this, his every instinct seemed finely honed, like he'd prepared for this moment every day of his life. The heat and misery Agni seemed to radiate was hard to ignore, but he refused to give in.

The heat was doing something to the primordial spirits. Their heads - or whatever they had - turned up to look at the ceiling. They pushed past. The spirits that had come to their aid were tired and weak. He couldn't blame them. The primordial creatures just ignored them, brushing past them. The building was shuddering. Agni's voice seemed to sear into his thoughts.

"_This is the way the earth will decay..._"

When he could think, when that voice stopped causing his bones to shudder, he focused on finding everyone. The creatures were barely even paying them mind. One's tentacled face wagged as his sword cut through its elephantine form, but the ones behind it surged past, looking to climb the crumbling remains of the tower.

It was becoming more and more precarious up there. The seed of Agni's rebirth was peeling apart, layer after layer. The steel cords that had been tied to the ground snapped, the flailing tearing through some of the lower floors. There was a loud rumble as the rest of the building shifted in reaction.

The spirits he could see. They were slowly being overrun. Some still fought but their energy had long been spent.

He couldn't see Azula.

The thought sent shockwaves through his heart. "Azula!" He thrust his sword through the creatures. "Azula! Where are you!"

He kept shouting as he pushed through the throngs, severing pieces of them from their body when they got in his way. The feeling of dread in his stomach grew tighter. Even if this was only a memory, a collective moment in their history brought to life just like he knew objectively to be the case, he wanted this to be a real chance.

A chance to change everything. "Azula!"

His voice died in his throat as he saw her. The charred bodies of the primordial spirits around her looked fresh, barely even returning to wisps of darkness, and Azula herself had lost her composure. She was laughing.

It wasn't the insane, mentally unbalanced super-villain laugh she'd been sporting earlier that day, he noticed. "Azula?"

"Sokka," she answered between one of her laughs. "Don't you think this is amusing?"

"Not - not really, no. Kind of weird, really, and sad."

"I chose this fate of my own free will," she answered. "The spirit body we assume to enter this world reflects the pain back to our real bodies - we knew that risk when we first started our little expeditions." Her laugh was so low and melancholic, stopped only by grunts of pain.

"Well, yeah. But -"

"Let's be frank." She clutched her stomach. At her feet, she was bleeding, "There was no way I was coming out of this the same. Do you know the strangest part? I can't even remember what I was doing - isn't that funny? I should, shouldn't I? But I can't -"

"Azula - you're not real."

"Sadly, that's the same conclusion I've come to. None of this is. You're the only thing out of place - so are you real, Sokka? Are you the dreamer or just in the dream?"

"What?"

Azula coughed. "I'm gettig delusional. This feels real - the pain, I mean. I'm probably dying. That's inconvenient."

"You'll be fine - believe me, I know."

Azula frowned, but didn't question it. "Aang - he'll win."

"Yeah, he will -"

"I know that! I was stating a fact." She glared at him. "I'm just - glad for him. He gets to see his future. And mine was empty from the moment I was born."

"That's stupid!" Sokka snapped. "If Aang heard you say that, I don't know what he'd do, but he'd be so angry, just believe you me."

She laughed again, the same low laugh. "You're right. He trusted me - and this was my ultimate act of trust. I bought him the time he needed, didn't I?"

She wasn't real. She even acknowledged that was true. She was the fragment of a memory of the seven of them. And still - she needed his affirmation, she needed to know. "Of course. You're Azula Houou, like anything you do isn't perfect."

She smiled through the pain. "_Precisement_."

The tower shuddered again. "Oh great, not now! Azula! Agni's almost awake. We need to get out of here now."

"Are you mad? You said yourself this isn't real. Sokka Floes, I don't think I even begin to understand how your mind works. Sometimes, I think it must be broken. Besides, a Houou faces her destiny head on."

"Are you crazy?"

"Just a little, I think."

The tower was never really any that would survive any normal conditions. It was held together by memories and despair, and when all of those were unleashed through Agni, the building was quick to realize that. The entire floor was giving way as the floors beneath it - several times smaller and made of much less stable material, began to buckle under its weight. The fiery wrath of the massive steel dragons Agni had created was not helping. One of them tore off one of the walls, leaving behind a molten stone..

"Azula!" Sokka cried, "We have to get to the top!"

Azula stared at the destruction in wonder. The fiery remains of several of the primordial spirits plummeted from above. The Spirit World, alight with red fire, seemed to go on forever. The cataclysm underway had a morbid beauty to it. She could not tear her eyes away.

And Sokka watched her as the building began to finally tear into pieces, as Agni's voice thundered, _**At last, we awaken**_.

The building was reforming around them, and Azula stood on a tattered platform, staring at the fires below even as her feet slid closer to the edge. The beauty she saw and the terror in her eyes, Sokka knew that only one person could have bore witness to this moment.

Azula herself.

She remembered that she descended towards fire with a terror so profound that she could not tear her eyes away from the inferno that awaited her.

_To be continued..._


	28. Happiness is a Warm Gun

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_Author's Note: This chapter has a rather intense moment near the end. Reader beware... Persona 3 fans may figure it out, though._

_"Daremo ga hitori ja nai kara, waratte mata tsuyoku nareru. Dakara mayou toki wa itsuka mi ta sora o omoidashite. Sagashite i ta kotae wa yumemi te ta ano basho ni aru.."_

_("No one is alone, just by smiling we can be strong again. That's why when you find yourself lost, remember that beautiful sky you once saw. The answer you've been searching for is in the place where your dreams were.")_

_- Found Me_

_Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 27**: _Happiness is a Warm Gun  
_

Ba Sing Se had settled into an unnatural stillness. A pin could drop it was so silent. The Lower Ring, the city the refugees of the last great war had built up, was meant to be full of throngs of people, crowding like the lifeblood of the city.

The red haze sat undisturbed. No one passed. Not even an insect stirred.

Then, carried on a breeze, there was the sound of distant thunder. A low growling noise that grew ever louder. Like a tsunami to the desert, the city that had been devoid of noise soon drowned in it. The vehicle had grown massive from the metal it had slowly cannibalized. Its frame now resembled more of a tank than a car, and the front seemed like a spider's face. Eight headlights flashed, and a ninth just flickered and died.

It destroyed the buildings in its path. It didn't even slow down to pass through a decrepit structure.

The Chariot Scion wouldn't stop, wouldn't slow, and Azula Houou, its tenacious prey, wouldn't have expected anything less. With her school uniform covered in dust and her hair somewhat frazzled, she seemed as if she'd been running for hours. Behind her, her young charge seemed thoroughly exhausted. Xiao's expression clearly spoke of a girl who had just had enough.

"We've been running forever!"

"We'll keep running until I find what what I'm looking for." Azula didn't seem remotely concerned about Xiao. She just continued fleeing into the street. It was getting nearly impossible to escape this one. However, she hadn't found precisely what she was looking for.

"What are you looking for anyway?"

Azula's eyes lit up, and she pointed straight forward, "That!"

She pointed to the foundation of what used to be a rather large community center. It was now a massive hole, covered in debris and stone. "What are you talking about? All I see is a bunch of nothing."

"Precisely!" Azula answered.

"Azula, it's right behind us!"

Azula stopped and slid across the dusty street, her feet tracing a line in the ground and with a thrust of her hands, she pushed an avalanche of rock forward into the scion's path. "There, I've bought us some time." The car veered as the rock came up underneath it, forcing it to veer. "This way!"

She broke into a sprint that Xiao couldn't quite keep up with. The girl's breathing was so heavy as it was, and she felt like her lungs were about to explode. And Azula had already reached the commuity center and was busy clearing away the rubble. Debris was flying everywhere as Azula worked. "Azula?" she called down the pit.

"Yes?" Azula asked. leaping up. "That ought to do it. Now I just need to wait." She wouldn't be waiting long. The engines roared loudly as the scion charged down the road towards her. Azula steadied herself. No more running.

"Azula! What are you doing?"

"Ending this right now."

"But you're going to get squished!"

Azula smirked. "Something's about to get flattened, that's for sure." She fell into her stance easily. The car would be on her in a matter of seconds. Xiao watched the scene terrified. Azula moved at a moment's notice. Not a second hesitation slowed her. The rocks under her feet rumbled and a large earthen spike shot out from beneath the vehicle's wheels. The car veered, narrowly avoiding swiping Azula in the process, and she just stared at it as it came by, unfazed.

What followed was a cacophony of machinery noise as the scion righted itself on the ground, swerving wildly as it tried to regain control. Any normal car would have been without its suspension the way it jangled and clanked.

And Xiao held her breath as it came back for Azula. She watched it serenely. Playing chicken with a monstrous creature born of nightmares was hardly the sort of game normal people would play. Azula relished in it.

The way the headlights glared in her eyes, she was navigating blind. The noise was deafening. And all the same, she never once looked one little bit afraid. In fact, if anything, Azula looked anxious, even impatient. Xiao whimpered fearfully.

The Chariot Scion's engine roared. Its wheels moved so fast they seemed to be burning up. And Azula simply jumped. In an instant the vehicle's wheels screeched to a stop, its breaks smoking at the sudden stop. Azula landed behind it. "I've had enough of you." She kicked a volley of stone from the ground and with a series of quick spinning kicks propelled it at the stalling vehicle, pushing it ever closer to the gaping chasm until its front wheels were pushed over the ledge.

"Go Azula!" Xiao cheered, the tension breaking enough that she could safely breathe again.

The vehicle kicked into reverse, its wheels spinning wildly at the sudden shift. If swerved wildly as it tried to pull itself back from the brink. "Oh no you don't." Azula stomped the earth, kicking up a large spike. The wheels impotently turned, treading the air as the scion's tail rose high into the sky. "Whatever gate you're guarding, whatever you're keeping me from, I will seize it from you regardless," she shouted, allowing her frustration to bleed out, "And I won't slow down for even a second."

The gust of wind she released was the tipping point. Already unstable, already tipping into the chasm. the force of wind was the straw that broke its back. It descended into the pit, and landed on its hood.

Azula stepped over to the edge and gazed down. "It's finished."

"Amazing!" Xiao cheered. "You're simply the best there is, Azula. So! Cool!"

Azula brushed aside the comment. "Let's keep moving. We're off course as it is."

"One more to go! One more guardian to go!"

Azula scoffed. "Don't be cocky. We need to find this guardian first, and even then, we don't know what this one is capable of."

"But you beat them all!" Xiao whined.

"And I am every bit as confident I will defeat this one as well, but there's no point in congratulating yourself before you've even met the enemy. So stop being foolish. We have a long way still to go. And who knows what's waiting for us past these guardians."

"Who indeed," Xiao added, mysteriously. "The center of the maze at long last, though. You must be so excited to finally see what's there."

"I suppose my curiosity is piqued. Whatever this creature is that's created this maze is immensely powerful."

"So very strong! Nothing's beat it yet!"

"I intend to."

"You can do it, Azula!"

"Still," she said with some hesitation. "Still, I wonder what's become of the others. There are still circumstances I'm not so certain on. If I could get in, why could you not get out?"

"There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that, I'm sure, but I don't get it at all. I'm just a kid, y'know?"

Azula studied Xiao, and smirked. "I learned a long time ago that people underestimate children because they're small. Still, I suppose if I'm at a loss, I can't very well expect you to understand your circumstances." She studied Xiao for a moment longer before turning back to the road. "Let's start walking. If we are quick, we should be at the school momentarily."

"Okay, Azula, and - just so you know, you know - if I did know where the others are, I would tell you. You know that right?"

Azula glanced at her sidelong, silent for a moment, before she said, "Of course I know that."

"I'm glad you trust me, Azula. It makes me feel like you're really going to be there for me no matter what."

Azula just stared at the ruins of Ba Sing Se. This was all an illusion, elaborate though it was, but it was so familiar. She knew these streets so well, she'd walked all of them at some point or another, always carrying herself on the certainty that she was heir apparent to all of them. The Lower Ring, though full of people, was little better than a slum. She despised how people lived there, wallowing from day to day in squallor, unable to understand how unimportant they were in the grand scheme of the universe.

And this was where the Spiritless congregated more than anywhere else. Their lifeless eyes staring blankly at those who passed by, too destitute to afford to lock them up in the hospital with the rest of them.

"Azula?"

Xiao's voice came like a jolt. "What is it?" she asked, turning her eyes away from the ruins.

"I just thought that the school was this way, not -"

Azula stopped dead in her tracks and reasserted her bearings. Xiao was right. She was going down the wrong fork. The road split, and the way she went would lead deeper into the Lower Ring, where the gangs used to run. Delinquint students who wasted their time claiming influence over her city - they were the worst of the lot. "Yes, let's not go down this way. It's an unpleasant slum."

"Not anymore. Now it's just flattened," Xiao laughed. Then she tapped her head. "It's not real, remember?"

"Of course, I know that."

But it's difficult sometimes to tell what's real and what isn't. It's not a new sensation, either. Like getting lost in the music coming in through her headphones, sometimes, the only thing that's real is what's right in front of her.

The thoughts in her head told her that this was fake, but she could not deny that it felt and seemed awfully real to her. The stones and the rubble that piled up high in the streets where cars were left to rot and decay forgotten by their owners in some made rush to safety - that's what felt real right now.

Reconciling that with the truth seemed quite difficult for whatever reason.

Wandering a post-nuclear apocalyptic Ba Sing Se was not where she thought she'd be at this point in her life, either. Life was often full of little disappointments like that. "What are you going to do when you're free?" Xiao asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When you're out of here, do you have any plans?"

"I have school that I must catch up on, and I am expected to attend an exclusive university when I graduate. With my grades where they were, I expect nothing but the best. I was being courted by most of the top five universities in the world at one point."

"Oh. But, what do you want to do?"

"What are you talking about? One can't simply go off and do whatever they want. People have expectations of me, and I'm fully capable of exceeding them. We do what we must."

"That's really sad, Azula. You're making me sad."

"What? What's so sad about that? I'm merely looking out for my future. We all have things we have to do, Xiao. You'll understand when you're older."

"I understand now!" With a moment's hesitation, Xiao clearly regretted snapping like that. Her fingertips traced a pattern on her shoulder. "Since it's you, I'm going to apologize. You know better than me, I guess, but, don't you have any dreams?"

"What are you talking about? Dreams - are you trying to ask me if I have any such childish goals like being an astronaut or a superhero? Quite frankly, I think I've already accomplished the latter."

Xiao didn't answer. Something Azula said weighed down on her. That much was clear. What it was, she couldn't even begin to figure. Still, Azula thought back, she once dreamed things like that. Silly things, honestly, but girlhood flights of fancy were not uncommon. She couldn't recall what it was she dreamt to be, or whatever she wanted to do.

Dreams were fleeting, they had no substance and as such, no value. The only thing that accounted for anything was working towards a goal. In that, she knew she excelled. She was confident. Traveling through the corrupted Ba Sing Se, there seemed to be no more dangerous shadows lurking in the alleyways.

The whole place returned to its emptiness, and that was enough to keep Azula on edge. Nothing was ever so empty and quiet that one could let down their guard. "We're almost there." She said it more as an observation, but Xiao responded quite excitedly.

"I can't wait to see the school. Is it big? What do you learn there? Are you in any clubs? What about sports, do you do any sports?"

Azula sighed. "I suppose it is big," she answered, tiredly humoring the younger girl. There wasn't anything else to do until they arrived unless she wanted to continue to dwell on her thoughts. "And I was president of the Student Council last semester. I intend to challenge whoever took my position this coming semester should I get out of here alive."

Which, of course, she would.

"You're so cool! So that's all you do? No sports or nothing?"

"I did look for a sports club to join the beginning of first year, but the challenge seemed lacking. There was just no competition. What's the point in crushing your opposition beneath your heels if they don't even squirm?"

"So, you didn't join any club?"

"The fencing and the soccer clubs both petitioned me to join, but I declined. If there was a marksman club, maybe I would consider joining one."

"You sure remember a lot about school -"

"I suppose I do." Despite the fogginess in her mind, school remained clear and fresh. Azula could recite her schedule by heart, even the upcoming school functions were as certain as they were before. "I suppose that's a little strange."

"Maybe?"

"I can remember things like what classes I took or when the school's field trips were, but when I try and remember what happened in them, I get lost in the fog."

"The Labyrinth takes away all the bad memories." Xiao shrugged. "There must have been something really painful you don't want to remember, Azula. Since it's you, I won't pry, though." Azula thought on that. She wondered what could have been so painful she didn't want to remember it.

Her memories were no use. They seemed faded like an old photograph, to the point that all she could remember were the outlines. Places, faces, names all blurred together. A lifetime of memories slowly eroded. It was strange how much time one lost to forgetfulness.

By the time they approached the school's gates she'd given up. The general quiet of the city had extended to Xiao for the rest of the trip. She appeared to respect Azula's privacy enough to let her think on it. But when she saw the rusty old metal gate she broke into a gleeful laugh. "We're finally here!" she bragged, "I know you could do it!"

"The school - my school." Azula glanced up at the building in the distance. It stood relatively unscathed by the destruction around it. The school grounds were a mess. The walls had been blown to pieces and the plants had died, but the building and its cold, modern design stood unbroken. The windows had been broken from the inside, but the walls were unmarked. The school was the tallest point in the city now that the Phoenix Group Tower had fallen, its broken husk an ominous shape on the horizon.

From the roof, she could see the whole city. She could see it and know it was hers.

"Bring back any memories?"

"None." She approached the gate. "We just need to find this last guardian and that's the end of that, correct?"

"As far as I know!"

It was growing difficult to get a read out of Xiao. But regardless of what lay ahead, and what little warning she'd get of it, she pushed forward. The gates blew in the wind. They sighed a lonesome creak that came long and softly across the breeze.

The grounds of the school had long since deteriorated. The trees were gone, and in their place, sharp knives had been thrust into the ground. Azula's eyes followed them with an increasing sense of ill-ease. This was an unusual sight in this fake city. "I think the guardian is near." She said it for Xiao's sake, but she could tell the girl had already come to the same conclusion. She followed a few steps behind Azula, peeking forward apprehensively.

The clockface on the main building had fallen from its spot, and had landed in front of the front door. Pieces of clockwork jut out of the hole it left behind, a mechanical disembowelment that would have been altogether more gruesome to a wind-up soldier than a real girl. Azula shrugged it off without a second thought. Sometimes things broke.

"This place is giving me the creeps, Azula." The courtyard was completely empty besides, and yet there was a sense of something being wrong, though what it was she could not quite place. The knives cast long shadows on the barren ground where the grass once grew, the rich green turf that had been so lovingly maintained had been replaced with blood red dirt and mud.

The knives' shadows read like a sundial. Five, seven, eleven, and two: they all kept their own time.

She made a note to keep her distance.

The clock tower chimed the time. Sixteen distorted rings sounded from the speaker system.

From behind the clock face, something moved, placing between the hands with apparent care a white ceramic mask: the mask of the Magician Scion. Azula responded lethargically, her hands moving through the air like it were molasses.

"A-" the syllable hang for what seemed like an eternity, "-Zu-" Xiao's eyes were wild in fear and confusion. "-la!" Azula turned her body. Her hands still reaching slowly for the handle she'd grown well acquainted with. Xiao's warning continued in a slow and distorted voice. "The -"

Her mind was working overtime. What was she trying to say? "- Guar-"

The guardian was moving. Azula saw it from the corner of her eye as she tried to move. Long arms erupted from the shadows made by the knives. They stretched high into the bright red haze of the sky, their gnarled fingers flexing. Then they grabbed the knives by the handle and pulled them free. "Dian- is a- ttacking!"

Xiao put a hand on her mouth after she finished. "What just happened?" she asked from behid her fingers.

"I don't know." The guardian juggled the knives between each other, and the mask on the clockface was now obscured behind a wall of spinning steel. "Was it this guardian's power?"

"Azula, I don't like this."

"So it can slow us down? It doesn't matter. Nothing is stopping me."

She had only a handful of bullets left. She had to make the shot count, but, with the speed the knives were flying it was a risky proposition. If she could get a clear shot on the mask, though, the things would be a different story.

She turned her attention to the arms. They were monstrously huge, but they didn't seem remotely aggressive She readied herself into a stance. "Xiao, this will be over in a matter of seconds." The hands however seemed to disagree. They stopped their juggling and thrust the daggers back into the ground.

As they did so, the clock face spun wildly and the bell buzzed endlessly.

* * *

Everything felt brittle. That was the best way Toph could describe the sensation to someone who didn't see the way she saw. Everything had a texture and a consistency to it, every vibration they sent had a sensation.

Humans tended to be rather squishy, compared to rocks. Their vibrations were softer, but it was a pleasant sensation. Knowing you weren't alone always made things feel better. She missed it right now. Without Azula, the rest of the school felt devoid of the footfalls of people coming and going.

The school itself usually felt solid, smooth, and long. It extended as far as her feet could sense through the ratty old uniform shoes she wore. It was why she had left one on the ground beside her, and extended a bare foot forward. The ground felt brittle, and so did the air - it did not feel right.

There was another sensation, one that gave her some trouble in describing. Cramped, perhaps, or, more accurately, crumpled. Everything felt like it had been compressed around her like an accordion.

"Hello?" she called out, even knowing full well that no one would answer. "What's going on?"

She could feel a sensation that extended out just beyond her reach. It was like a voice calling her name in the crowd, though she could not truly see it, it prickled at her toes. It grew ever closer. It felt like sand, dimming her perception to its barest limits. And as it drew closer, she could sense less and less of the world, it all became tangled up in the feeling of everything turning to dust.

She backed away, but it came from all around her. There was no escaping whatever approached her. "Whatever you are, I'm not scared!" she protested. But she wasn't so fearless that a tremble could not sneak into her voice.

But the sensation came upon her all the same, under her feet, she could feel so clearly the ground falling apart like sand through the space between her fingers. And then, all too suddenly, the only sensation she felt was the air around her as she descended into the empty expanse.

Well, empty to her. She could be missing so much for all she knew, but strangely, she felt calm about it. Her heart pounded like a drum, but she was all right with that, too. It always had a way of working out in the end.

Which was why she was not at all surprised to feel the sensation of pavement under her feet. It was there just as sure as it wasn't there the minute before. But she welcomed it. The pavement itself was unstable, she could feel it. Uneven streets, buildings half the size they should be, if even that, the very earth underneath felt wrong. The soil was lifeless and parched. The vibrations were enough to cause a sinkhole to spontaneously form. It was distressing to say the least.

She could sense nothing else moving, so she followed the road. The pavement radiated warmth through the soles of her shoes, like it had been sitting under the sun on a summer afternoon. The air felt thick in her lungs, and the breeze had a dry and unwelcome edge to it. The place was thoroughly inhospitable.

Which made the other sensations she received all the more bizarre. The way the paved roads led, and the position of the buildings all seemed to be familiar, like the old shopping district. She went there a lot to get away from the ridiculously expensive tastes of her parents. Now it all seemed to be rubble.

"What happened? Did I like fall right out of the maze into the future or something?"

No one answered her. She didn't honestly expect anyone to. Still, she kept her eyes open. People or monsters would doubtlessly exist in this desolate post-apocalyptic city, but whether or not the people had become strange lemur-men, she wasn't quite ready to say.

* * *

Azula always thought it would be wonderful to be able to speed up time. It would certainly cut down on the tedium and the process and leave only results, and there was nothing she loved more than results. She'd never considered, much to her embarrassment, there was a singular and yet altogether obvious problem with this.

What it came down to was that Azula couldn't hope to process the information she received fast enough. No one could. The hands weren't spinning because the clockface was going haywire, oh no, they were spinning because that was precisely how quickly time was moving. Azula nearly knocked herself out cleanly with her hand when she moved to brush a loose lock of hair back.

"Azulalookout!" Xiao shouted.

The long shadowed hands already reached down to once again draw the sharp blades. This time she could barely make out the strain of doing so. Everything moved so quickly, it was like watching the entire world stuck in fast-forward. It all seemed so comical. Azula didn't find it funny.

But it wasn't as if she could aim properly. She needed more than a split-second to tell her arm to move and when to stop. All she could do was hope when she dodged the long, sharp knife that flew through the air like stock footage from a low-budget cartoon she didn't end up misjudging the distance and end up caught under another.

When she leapt, she collided with a burnt out tree trunk that had been a good three feet away.

"Ho'inf'ri'tin." She perhaps should have spoken slower. Instead, her words tumbled out so quickly they collided together. They just ended up getting lost in the din of the electronic bells anyway, she reasoned, and it wasn't as if there was any real wisdom in them to begin with. After all, it was just an old trunk of a long-dead tree, and not some horrifically deadly implement.

Speaking of which, they were being volleyed about between the hands again. This time diagonally as well. Now not only were the boxed in, but they were moving ever closer to outright slaughter. She could sense some malevolent glee coming from the scion. It was enjoying this. Enjoying watching them squirm as it wound time up faster and faster, or slowed it to a crawl.

All of these scions had a malevolence to them. But it was getting stronger the closer they went. She could feel it in her bones. She was called a monster, and it's an assessment that she agreed with. But Azula was human, and humans were complex. These things were not. They were a singular emotion or thought, gone wild through guilt or pride or grief.

It actually gave her some relief. Though ruthless to be certain, this thing would not try to kill them quite so outright, at least, not until it got bored. "Xiao." She intentionally paused between each word for a second. "Stay. Perfectly. Still. This. Is. A. Trick."

"Likemagic?"

"Exactly." Sleight of hand and illusions. As long as they kept a cool head, they'd be all right. Unfortunately, a cool head was easier to maintain when the world didn't seem to be passing by too fast for her eyes to follow. She was getting a headache just trying to process everything she was seeing, and the face on the clockface was smiling at her.

The sadistic freak knew she'd figured it out and was just enjoying it all the more! These things were monsters, pure and simple.

She wouldn't wait any longer. She'd just have to take a shot. She readied her weapon and hoped that when she moved, she would't misjudge the distance her arm had to move, or how long it would take.

She moved her arm and shot, but to her surprise, the bullet went flying far overhead. She saw it move. Altogether too clearly, in fact. The knives had been thrust back into the ground, their shadow telling various times despite the thick haze that obscured the red eyed sun from casting its shadows on them.

And the arms on the clock had slowed to a stop - no, not quite accurate. She saw the minute hand move backwards for an extended moment out of the corner of her eye, before it slowly, and loudly, moved forward again.

The bullet really should have been further away than it had been. Calculating its acceleration, she shouldn't have even been able to see it. Time in that equation did not account for the alterations in its flow. Time had slowed to a crawl again and Azula for one was quite sick of it. Especially since the arms seemed free to ignore the sudden crawl altogether.

This thing had them at its mercy. It knew that. But Azula knew something it didn't seem to know, even though it should: no one defeated Azula Houou.

It would learn that the hard way as soon as her arms decided to listen to her brain and move.

* * *

No one walks quite the same. It was how Toph recognized people. The differences were mostly subtle. She couldn't really tell apart complete strangers, but she could get a vague sense of them by the way their stepped. Their posture, their mood, their very way of life affected it. But for the people she did know, she was quick to pick up on the subtleties.

Katara walked with a careful and steady pace. She never slowed even when it was clear her feet were blistered and tired, because she always had to be the one putting on the strong face. Next to her, quite literally, Zuko's footfalls were a mark difference. He moved like a wounded tiger, full of fury and pride, but none of the arrogance. Rigid posture, rigid footsteps that moved just a bit more quickly than the others. It was a miracle he didn't outpace everyone the way he moved.

And behind them, she couldn't mistake Yue's dainty footsteps. Tip tapping across the ground, they always seemed to get lost in the crowd, but she learned to pick up on it. She moved with grace, with perfect posture, and never seemed the least bit snooty about it.

And they walked with a careful pace. Apparently something spooked them. "Hey!" she shouted as loud as she could, and the reaction she could feel even at this distance. The footsteps stopped, the postures changed, and she sense they were looking for the source of the voice. "Over here!"

They moved closer at a much more swift pace. "Toph!" Katara's voice sounded relieved, and Toph had to admit, just knowing that they were all right made her feel a lot less lonesome in this strange and arid city. "Are we glad to see you!"

"I'd say the same but -

"Well, I'm sure it's good to hear us, or sense us however you feel." Yue was a born diplomat. She defused the bomb that wasn't even there without even missing a beat of good humor. She was kind of scary in that regard, Toph thought, but kept that sense mostly to herself. "You haven't sensed Sokka around, have you?"

"You think Snoozles is here too?" She shook her head. "Ain't been around here, that's for sure."

"Oh."

"I - I hope he's here, but, yeah, okay, let's look for him!"

"What do you mean, you hope he's here." There were times she thought the stoic Fire Nation boy was fairly dim, but that came up to bite her in the rear far too often for her to believe that. "What happened after we -"

"Whatever that thing that we've been chasing is - it had him and then he told me to run. He's probably okay, as I think about it. Almost definitely! He was okay-ish. The thing tossed me into nothing and I ended up like six months or so ago."

"Just great."

"Relax, Zuko, it's fine. I mean, we need to be positive about this. Toph's probably right."

"Probably right about being possibly okay? Yeah, really confident."

"Everyone, please calm down." This time she intervened in time. Zuko and Katara's expressions turned from bitter and frustrated to that of a pair of children being scolded by their mother. "I have some good news. Azula's nearby."

"Great!" Katara smiled brightly. "How close is she?"

"She's there." She pointed towards a building in the distance. It was the only one still completely intact. The Phoenix School. It looked increasingly menacing as the red haze shifted hues from a bright, blood red to something darker.

Was night falling in this corrupted Ba Sing Se? It looked almost like a fortress in the shadows of the fog. "There is some bad news, too," Yue admitted, shyly.

"Figured it was too good to be that easy."

Zuko received a weak backhanded slap from Katara for that, but he didn't even flinch at it. Yue stuttered helplessly for a second as she tried to get her thoughts together. "It's more that." She paused again, reconsidering her words. "It's just -"

"Just say it!" Toph shouted.

"Okay, okay. That big evil presence I felt is closer than ever. Azula's nearly right on top of it."

"Just great. Azula's wandering blind into some big trouble. We need to hurry."

Yue was quick to agree. At the back of her mind, something nudged her to speak, but she fought against it. _Already there's enough reason to worry, they don't need to worry any more,_ she argued to herself. But it still bothered her that she couldn't speak about it.

And it bothered her that she wasn't certain, even this close to Azula. She'd been noticing, even before now, that there would be times she could sense a faint, distant presence around Azula. Now, it was close, but all the same, just as illusive. It was trying to hunt a white antlered hare amongst the tundra - it got lost in the same all-consuming void that was Azula Houou.

Every time she was certain it was there it would vanish, throwing her back into doubt.

She would speak about it when she was certain. _They've got enough reason to worry_, she consoled herself again. She still didn't believe it, but it helped if she pretended she did.

* * *

Again the sluggishness of response nagged at her temper. This was no time for anything short of controlled and, yes, perfect coordination, and the sudden shift from high-speed over-stimulation to the mind-numbing slowness of time was like going from a runaway tram screaming to a full reverse. She was just glad the analogy didn't carry over into the whiplash or she'd be in the market for a new neck.

The hands were closing in their circle around them, they still flipped and juggled the knives between each other. They were getting closer on the diagonal throws, she noticed. She was beginning to wonder how far this guardian was willing to take its sadistic little power play. Talking was pointless. By the time she said anything, time would either speed up or return to normal. She just gave Xiao a reassuring glance.

The first order of business was to do something about those knives.

She didn't fail to notice the ritual they followed each time the passage of time shifted. They would always slam them into the ground, and each time they would rotate through the hours like a sundial.

That was her opportunity. She had to take it. The funny thing about the slowing of time is it gave you a relative large amount of time to think. The synapses fired off at about the same rate no matter how you looked at it. If anything, she was thinking faster the slower everything got. Relativity was a wonderful thing when put into perspective.

The knives whirled through the air, their rotations may have slowed, but they moved at about the same speed. The shadowy hands would do little flourishes with the knives when they grabbed them. They swam through the ground, and repositioned themselves.

And then slammed the knives into the ground. _Now!_ the thought came along with a sudden return to normal speeds as the shadows spun wildly around the blades. Her foot came down, twisting just a bit, and with this aggressive gesture, the ground underfoot started to quake. The fissure she formed cut the very earth in two around the knife, and with a slow and firm step forward, she lifted her hands up and assumed a ready stance.

Like any bit of earth, it complied, rising up with her hands and floating in wait. She dashed forward with her arm extended, and stopping short, she punched the thing through the space of an inch. The tiny, almost invisible motion had enough force behind it to send the stone flying, hurtling one of the knives into the distance. The hand seemed to panic, gesticulating madly as it reached for its blade. Finding none, it soon returned to the ground and with a fizzling noise, the puddle of blackness soon evaporated.

"Got it."

It had only taken her a matter of seconds. She could already feel time change. The noise was becoming obnoxious, like a siren that wouldn't stop. Xiao's mouth was already going a mile a minute, words crashing into each other like a pile-up on the intercity expressway into Ba Sing Se. Azula ignored it. Three more knives to deal with.

They were swapping them about in the formation of a triangle. The knives were still getting closer, but now she knew she had to be more precise than her mind would let her be. She was now thinking _slower_, which was troubling. Events occured at lightning speed. The knives were barely thrown into the air by the time she realized they'd been passed off again.

She couldn't quite see the mask behind the flurry of steel, but she liked to imagine it was beginning to get nervous. That was good. It should be. It shouldn't have toyed with Azula Houou. She would teach it the proper respect.

Lightning would have been a great help. But she would look to the other side of the storm. Anyone who grew up in the Fire Nation knew to fear and respect the lightning, the rain, and, of course, the wind.

It didn't need to be precise. She couldn't be precise. It was an elegant solution. And the speed with which she moved made the gale force seem all the stronger. She pushed it against one of the shadowy claws, and she pushed hard. The winds swept through it like a typhoon through a beach tree.

Its fingers curled tighter against the knife's handle, but Azula knew even through her ever increasing headache that it couldn't hold. She stopped for only the briefest of moments and unleashed another gale with renewed force. She could see its fingers unfurling slowly under the force. She could see the knife rattling as the winds threatened to blow it away.

She knew she'd won.

The knife didn't take long to slip from the creature's increasingly flimsy grip. It spiraled off towards the rooftops with an incredible speed and the hand convulsed in terror as it slowly melted back into an evaporating puddle of slime.

Two left, and she was certain that the scion would get the message now. It couldn't toy with Azula Houou, and now it would try to end things. The knives that remained thrust into the ground. "Azula, we gotta do something, fast! It's going to slow everything down again!"

Azula nodded. "I've got it under control." She could feel the words tumble out slower as she spoke. The next time they tossed those knives they would be getting close enough to cut, if not finish her off completely. Timing was everything.

She knew she had to plan everything minutes in advance, every motion had to be accounted for. They were already moving. She slammed her foot into the ground hard.

It was an incredible maneuver, one that would have been all the more impressive if she had an audience, but she would settle for Xiao's lavished praises afterwards. Earth moved slowly, even when a bender called it up out of the ground. The knives moved quickly, despite the sudden slowing of time around them. The hands aim was good. If she hadn't anticipated it, she would have likely moved into one of the knives, likely piercing her lungs at the very least.

Instead, they pierced the ground. The earth rose up on either side of the girls to meet them. Her timing was perfect. Even as they collided with the stone, the arms panicked. Time returned to normal and Azula thrust her arms out. The pieces of earth shot across the ground and smashed to pieces against the walls.

"That is, as they say, that." She drew her gun. "I'm tired of these diversions." She drew a bead on the clock face as the hands slowly faded away into nothing. Walking forward, she could see its expression was one of absolute terror. She relished it. She was standing mere feet away. Point blank range, as they say, when it would feel the fire of the gunpowder as well as the piercing bullet.

If it felt anything, she added with disgust. It was a monster, after all. She didn't have any witty one-liners, and she really never cared for such movies. So she turned off the safety and fired.

The clock face shattered around her, the mask was fragmented and soon enough gone into the same misty shadow as its hands. The last guardian was dead, and the door it guarded was right before her, waiting to be thrown open.

"You did it, you really did it."

Azula turned back to Xiao. She expected, any second now, for the other shoe to drop. "Where to?"

"The roof, of course. You can see the entire city from there."

"Of course." She expected something more, somehow, something else to happen. She wasn't disappointed, but at the same time, she wasn't exactly relieved. There still was quite a way to go until they reached the roof. The school's doors swung open with surprising ease in spite of the rust and grime that covered them.

"Are you coming or not? Slowpoke."

"Eager to be free?"

"More than you can even tell," Xiao answered. "But we got a lot to do before that. So much to do, Azula Houou, more than you can even know."

The building was thrown into chaos. The lockers had been overturned, and there were desks thrown into the halls like barricades. But the stairs were still open. They were sturdy, strong, and they didn't feel at all like they would give way. Xiao ran up them with a great burst of speed.

Azula checked her gun before following. She was down to her last bullet.

Somehow that didn't surprise her. She'd been in the maze for too long, there was no time to pick up anymore bullets, and even if there was, was anything in the maze actually real? No, she would have to make due with her wits and her bending for now.

She'd been suspicious, of course. She'd had lots of suspicions over the years and most of them proved correct. However, she couldn't quite figure out the angle. It was like any scam, drawing on things like ego and pity, but they didn't account that Azula was numb to both of these things. _Since it's me_, she repeated in a mocking voice inside her mind.

No, since it was her, she would suspect. "Xiao, I don't exactly see any exit to this maze here."

"It's here. There's just a teensy tiny detail I forgot to mention." The girl was on the school roof looking at the world behind rusty chain fences. They were there for protection, to stop children from falling to their deaths on the ground below, but right now, it seemed almost like a prison cell for her and Xiao to share.

"I assume that detail is that I won't be leaving with you."

Xiao sniffed and broke into a rain of crocodile tears. "Why would you think that? I wouldn't abandon you! Not like you were going to abandon me! You're always leaving everyone behind, aren't you Azula? Are we just tools to you? That's it, isn't it? People are just tools to you."

"Don't play this game with me. I've suspected for some time that you were omitting key details in our little chats. Furthermore, you have been, how to put this - mostly invisible to my associates. Mostly, but not completely."

"That stupid moon girl! She could see me? Impossible!"

"Your cries of abandonment aren't completely unfounded, I suppose, but it's not in the same way as, say, the others. They couldn't face it, because they failed to acknowledge those parts of themselves. No, I know full well who I am, Xiao. And as such, I know who you are."

Xiao just burst into a fresh tantrum of tears.

* * *

He wasn't quite certain how he knew, but Sokka could tell that the entire world as he knew it had been shot. It was probably the sense that there was a great big hole everywhere around him. Bullet wounds tended to be circular, as a matter of course, but one tended to miss that detail when stuck right in the middle.

The entire world around him was now more accurately a large circular hole in reality, which was, he had to admit, something that occured just far too often in his life to panic about. He had other things to worry about.

_She'd been scared_, for example. _We could have - should have done something -_ was another. Half thoughts, built without full context because the moment had been striking enough to take all of that and throw it down into the fire.

He wondered if she would have burned up in the heat of Agni's flames, or simply fell until she couldn't fall anymore. He couldn't decide which possibility was more frightening, but he was certain Azula knew. People tended to remember that sort of detail no matter how hard they wanted to forget.

Now it was his turn to fall. He didn't really have much else to hold onto, considering everything that remained from the tower's destruction had been shot, and was slowly bleeding out into the vastness of space and time.

Space and time, usually viewed separately, were vast or infinite, together they were vastly infinite. Which was a hard concept to wrap one's head around when forced to stare at it. Sokka's first thoughts were simply, _Well, this is certainly a long way to fall_. The sensation was already catching up with him. Like a blood vessel to the world outside, the terrible cost of freedom was the absolute certainty of death.

And as he was gushing out of a bullet wound, that meant he was a blood vessel with a brain sharp enough to actually understand that concept.

And then he wasn't falling and the vastness of time and infinite stretch of space were once again separate concepts that played well together but kept separate rooms. Which was all well and good to Sokka Floes, whose brushes with these outlandish concepts were, at best, hazardous to his health.

"I really hate it when space and time mix up together. I mean, I really, really hate it."

He wasn't sure who he was talking to, but the only answer he got was a loud bang. Gunshot, he'd heard it all before, somber sobriety set in and he was already rushing to the school's door. He didn't care how he got there, after all this time he just accepted it and moved on. It made things _easier_.

"Sokka!" someone called out. He glanced behind him. The entire entourage of his friends were rushing up to him, mixtures of relief and fear playing on their faces. Katara was leading them. "We heard a gunshot - Azula -"

Sokka nodded as he threw open the front door. "I heard it too. What's going on?"

"We don't know. We think we're near the center of the maze."

"And Azula?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"We don't have time to get into the details," Yue said, "But it's very important we get to Azula now."

"Where is she?" Sokka asked, looking down the hallways. So much destruction, it was like something out of a dream. No school today, on account of absolute nuclear destruction. Funny enough, he always imagined the school would just be a crater.

"The roof!" Yue paused before adding, "She's not alone. There's something else there. Some_one_ else."

"What sort of someone?" Zuko spoke in raspy grunts, usually getting to his point by projecting it as far as he could with a grumpy glare.

"It's hard to explain. I thought my senses were being confused or distorted by the labyrinth itself, but now I'm certain - someone's been following Azula this whole time."

"You mean, in this weird Ba Sing Se?" Katara asked. Yue shook her head.

"At least since you saved me from my other side - oh no."

The thought aligned very swiftly in Yue's head, seizing upon her the importance of her words, and Sokka picked up on it. He stopped and turned back at the frozen Moon spirit. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no. You got to be kidding me. You mean she's had one this whole time?"

"What are you babbling about?" Toph asked. She tapped her foot irately. ":And why are we stopping."

"I, I think Yue means Azula's 'Stranger' or whatever they're called has been following her the entire time."

"That's mostly accurate, yes. They're just parts of us, so it almost feels like, at a glance, there are two of us. Two Kataras in the desert, two Sokka's in his little video game, two Zuko's in his space fortress - but they've been right on top of each other this whole time."

"You mean the entire labyrinth is her maze?" Toph shouted. "You mean _she's_ the one responsible for this?"

"I suppose that's true."

"Just _great_!"

"But it's just as much us," Yue said. "She didn't create everything in this maze."

"But this part's all her, right?" Toph muttered. "She's still crazy after all this time. I guess some things never change."

"No!" Yue protested, "She has changed! Can't you see?"

"No. No I can't."

"Oh. Well, yes, but, I meant that metaphorically and rhetorically -"

"I think I get it. You couldn't sense her clearly at first because they weren't all that different. Inside, she's been changing." Sokka growled, angrily. "This is bad! She's going to tick it off, I just know it! And I don't want to fight Azula's bad side. She's scary enough as it is."

"Well, let's stop standing around and get her before she does something stupid!"

The last flight of stairs was cleared quickly and they flew out onto the rooftop, piling through the door in the process. Azula glanced up at them as they did.. "You made it." She seemed calm, actually composed. "I'm glad. I think it's time to leave."

Opposite of her, for the first time, they saw Xiao. Yue's eyes widened in surprise. There she was, eight years old, all over again. She wore a black dress and a red bow in her hair. Those same gold eyes filled to the brim with tears was throwing a tantrum. An eight-year old Azula Houou.

"Azula, you're going to leave me after all of this?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Aren't you trying to provoke me? To make me deny you're part of me? I know that."

"But, but, but-"

"Whoa. She made hers cry." Sokka whistled, it was an impressive sight. The girl was rubbing her eyes frantically.

"Don't make fun of me! I just don't want to be left alone."

"Shut up, it's unbecoming of you. Now, let's go. We're close to the center of the maze, if I'm not mistaken. We shouldn't waste time. We have to finish this."

And Xiao's crying stopped. "I know why we abandon people. We run away so no one can leave you again. Because no one wants to be around Azula Houou, because we're monsters."

"Don't be ridiculous."

XIao bawled out her eyes again, "But we're the same. We've both been abandoned so much. First our mother, then Zuko, then our father, and finally -"

Azula's eyes widened and she turned around. "Do not dare say that name."

It's incredible what one spark could do. With the proper care, a tiny spark could wipe a city off the map. With the proper care, a spark can become a fire, and a fire can grow larger. In this city of Ba Sing Se, a reflection of Azula Houou herself, a small spark was lit. And Xiao knew how to foster it.

"What name?" Xiao asked innocently.

"It doesn't matter."

"But it does. You were in _lo-o-o-ve_, and he abandoned you because he liked someone better. That's why you killed him!"

"Shut up!" Azula snapped. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, right. Because you wanted to forget. So you threw all of those bad thoughts into me. So you could forget. That's why people come to the Labyrinth of Lethe, to forget all the things that cause them grief. So you wanted to forget him, but I can't."

"Azula -" Katara called out, but Zuko raised his hand to silence her. "But, she needs us-"

He shook his head. "This is something she needs to face herself. We just have to be ready to pull her out of the fire when the time comes."

"You mean you want to fight her other side?" Sokka shouted.

"No. But we have to. Azula needs this, more than any of us did."

Azula made no motions to silence them because she was too focused with her own problems. By the furrow of her brow, anyone could see her wrestling with something. She was confused, but she was logical. She'd approach it carefully. "You're not real. You're a figment of my subconscious created to torment me. I know this.":

"But knowing is different than accepting it. I used to think you were so great, but you kept building me up with all of the things you didn't want to think about. You were running away and you were going to abandon me. Just like Aang did."

"No. That's not true."

"But, Azula, if you give up too much of yourself, don't you become me, and I become you? Aren't I more real than you? Here's a secret about memories and time - they're the same thing. You've been giving me all your time and you're just about out."

"That's ludicrous, couldn't possibly be true."

"Azula Houou, who are you?" Xiao asked. Something about her seemed, for want of a better word, peculiar. The shadow she cast under the red sun seemed to flicker. Something about her burned her eyes, but the burn was cold.

"I'm the daughter of, uh - and - and-" All black - why was it all black? She knew she had known this literally seconds prior, as she was beginning to speak. But it was all leaking out now. She didn't know why, and she suddenly wished she did.

"You don't remember do you?"

"I'm tired of you." Azula held up her gun with a shaky hand. "I should have rid myself of you to begin with."

"You missed last time," Xiao taunted. She kicked the flattened bullet out of the way. "What makes you think you can hit me now."

"You don't know anything about me. You are never going to replace me. I'm the only Azula Houou. You're nothing but a pretender!"

The gun slipped from her hand and fell with a bang and Azula could feel herself drifting away. She tried to hold on. She would not be defeated like this. Xiao seemed to undergo a transformation. Her clothes, her arms, her legs, all of them seemed to mature and grow as the shadows of Ba Sing Se flocked to her. The city seemed to come to life as a fire burned wildly out of control, seizing the entire city in its grasp.

And Xiao stood up. At first glance, she resembled Azula completely. Every detail was the same, except for the red of her eye. But a little closer, one could see the lines. They were like a wound that hadn't quite healed right that extended from her temple. She still wore a black dress like the one she'd been wearing before, but this one was more suitable for a teenage girl. She looked beautiful in it for a given value of beautiful. There was something one-dimensional about her. She seemed like Azula, but that was the extent of it.

She smiled. "I am the shadow, the true self," she declared and reached for the gun. The others prepared themselves as Xiao picked up the weapon and examined it. Something about it fascinated her. She glanced up over it and waved it around. "I hate you all so much." Her voice was chillier than the South Pole in the dead of winter: frigid enough to sear. "I hate this city, I hate this entire world and I'm going to see it burn at my feet."

She drew a bead on each of them, until she finally came over Katara. "Especially you."

"Me?"

"Be careful, something's not right!" Yue warned. This other Azula glanced at Yue briefly, before an unsettling smile crept on her face. A chilly chuckle built in the back of her throat, coming out almost like a croak.

Katara drew out some water and settled in a ready stance. "I'm ready for her."

Xiao shook her head and pulled the gun back, and casually brought it to her own head. Her voice gained a hard edge, wonder setting into her entire being at the sensation of the barrel brushing against her head. "I hate everything."

She pulled the trigger.

_To be continued._


	29. Id

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"I'm the first to admit the shear thought provoke the new era, become a big terror, but my only rival's my shadow. Rewind then playback and six my own error."_

_- P3FES_

_Lotus Juice_

**Chapter 28: **_ Id_

The gun made a noise like distant thunder, then all was silent. Everything was wrong. She stood there, her eyes focused on a point miles away while the smoke from the gun seemed to snake through her head and wafted up, wisp-like, on the opposite side.

The strange scarring on her face glowed.

At first glance, the girl was Azula Houou. The same hair that had been brushed and styled for hours in front of a mirror until every single strand of hair stood precisely where she needed it to be, the same smile, which contained a sinister promise of terrible things, and even the same voice, which whispered softly into the wind.

"I _hate_ you."

She slowly brought the gun down to her side. She wore a surprisingly modest dress, with long sleeves and the hem went down to her knees. It was black on black, and if seemed to make her seem like a shadow on the inferno that was building on the streets below them.

And the scarring _shined_. Something was not right.

Yue shivered. She was used to the cold, she'd grown up in a city built on the tundras of the north. But the wind that blew through the city was frigid in a way that smothered the naturally warmth. And they stood frozen to their spots because they didn't know what to expect, and Yue was feeling in the pit of her stomach that something terrible was about to emerg..

There was something welling up inside this girl. At first glance, yes, she was Azula Houou, but Yue knew better. She'd seen these Strangers before. They were the faces they showed to no one, the repressed thoughts and the unwanted urges that hid underneath the surface. Azula, though...

She glanced at the girl. She was unconscious on the ground, no doubt fighting desperately through the darkness of her brain. Her memories had been fed into this insane doppelganger, every little scrap of guilt she had shoved off into her. Azula was right, she had nothing to hide, she made no qualms about declaring herself a monster - but they disagreed.

Aang saw something more in her, and she could sense without needing to say a word between them, that her friends agreed. Azula was worth fighting for. Whatever this imposter threw at them, they would not back down.

And the scars were widening. The light was intense, and it came from somewhere within. The wound slowly peeled wider and wider apart until with a flash it unraveled. Her eyes seemed to glow with the same light, as if through a window. And from the light, a shape slowly began to take shape.

"Here it comes!" Sokka said. He took the lead without hesitation. "Brace yourselves!"

"_Burn!_" The light began to take shape as azure flames ripped across the ground. It become solid, and for a given value of real, it seemed real. It was long, serpent shaped, with blue scales that glistened in the light from the inferno around them. Hungry jaws snapped shut tightly and the flames stopped.

They had laced around the group, like a stream around a stone. The dragon's eyes focused in contempt at Zuko, whose fists were still smoldering with heat. Steam rose up around him. He slowly lowered his hands. He was confused.

Fire was hot, a primievel understanding that had been ingrained, and it was certainly not cold. But for those who had been unfortunate enough to experience it firsthand, after a point, the body starts to think the flames feel cold. And furthermore firebending drew from many sources. Sometimes it fed on rage or hatred, and while rage smoldered over time, hatred was a cold-blooded emotion.

The azure flames from the dragon's maw burned cold like hatred

Xiao's knees buckled as she tried to stagger forward, dragging with her the massive serpentine dragon that emerged from her shattered head. She waved the gun dangerously about. The dragon inhaled deeply.

This time, they were ready for it. This time, they attacked.

* * *

The Labyrinth of Lethe robbed people of their memories, but only those they didn't want to begin with. For most people, these were things like Words Had With The Wife After a Bad Day, or The Time They Missed Little Tsu Zhi's Dance Recital For a Business Meeting, but for a select few, their guilty memories were somewhat more interesting.

And then there was Azula Houou, who spent her entire life unaware that she would regret it at the end. The Labyrinth of Lethe wasn't born from her memories, but it had given it a concrete shape. Relationships had power, after a fashion. But all Azula's brought her now was despair and uncertainty.

And she didn't know how to deal with that. She'd always been so sure of herself. She was in unfamiliar waters and all she could do was keep her head above the surface. As with most things inside the human mind, the extended metaphor had been taken literally. The most she could do was give herself some sensible clothes to wear.

So she had ended up in her school swimsuit. She wasn't particularly imaginative about this sort of thing, after all. And she just treaded the waters of uncertainty and did the one thing that she could do in a place such as this.

She thought.

Her mind used to be so crowded by memories, and she had a strange manner of freedom from context now with which to examine that which was Her. She hadn't done that before. She'd been so sure of Her, that she didn't think she had to.

She put uncertainty to good use and started to deconstruct herself.

* * *

Yue did what she always did when fighting broke out. She grabbed Azula's unconscious body and went for a safe distance away. Usually, this worked out all right. She even felt quite useful for this. But while the dragon was busy, fighting tooth, flame, and claw with the others, Xiao watched her. Yue didn't notice. This made Xiao anxious.

"Stop fighting them, and get her!" she shouted as she reached for what remained of her head. Her glassy eyes rolled back into the remains of her head and the dragon,gave a great resounding roar as it turned its flames on Yue.

A thin layer of frost appeared on the surface of the roof as it trailed after Yue. She paused only to glance behind her shoulder and dragged Azula's body to some sort of cover. She wasn't having much luck finding any. "Hey, ugly!" The concrete jut up in response. Toph was holding her stance firmly. "Eyes on me!"

The dragon swayed in a wide arc as Xiao took a step backwards, her upper body leaning heavily to her right. "Get out of my way, Bei Fong."

"Or what, you'll make your dragon flame me?" Toph grinned. She could deal with this sort of bad guy. Azula was one of your typical gloaters on a bad day, and Xiao was all of Azula's bad days rolled up into one little spiteful package. "I'm so scared."

"Idiot.' Xiao's eyes widened, "Why would I threaten to do something I was going to do anyway. There's a lot worse I could do than that."

"Yeah, right!" The fire had died down and the frost had turned to steam almost instantly in the heat of the inferno. Ba Sing Se on fire would have been a distressing sight. Seeing homes, entire lifetimes of memories, the streets that they knew and walked every day suffering under undying fires, it would have been distracting especially feeling the sting of cold from the dragon's waiting maw.

Thankfully, Toph couldn't see. "You know what I think, Power Princess? I think you know I can take you. And you're scared."

Xiao looked at Toph for a moment, the dragon casually blowing out cold flames as it awaited its master's command. Then, she broke into a sickly grin. "Is that how you think it is?" she asked, biting back a laugh. The dragon was taken aback by the sudden movement as Xiao broke into a full on belly laugh,. "You think you can torment me like Katara? You know, I hate you, Toph, but compared to some of the others, I don't hate you that much." She wiped a tear from her fragmented eye. "You made me laugh. I'll let you live a little while longer. In the meantime," her eyes focused on Yue, "You're going to have to go, Princess."

The others had rallied around her, but Yue still felt unbearably exposed with the dragon's keen golden eyes staring at her from behind a dangerously frosty snout. The flames licked from the back of its throat, casting an awful light on everything.

"We won't let you hurt her," Katara said. She stood against the dragon looking like a lone woman against the tide, but her posture and the look in her eyes made it abundantly clear that she'd turned it before.

The dragon and Xiao stared her down. Then it crept on the both of them, a synchronized grin that seemed to catch the shadows and twist it into something sinister. Xiao chuckled, a low and controlled sound. "Oh, why not. Burn them all!"

* * *

Azula waded through the sea of her thoughts as she came across a small land-mass. Everything was dark, but she could see well enough. No, that wasn't it. She was asleep, this was her subconscious. She didn't need light to see because there was no need for eyes. Everything here she knew, intrinsically, because it was her.

Which made everything a nice little headache wrapped up for her. She was too good at cold logic that sometimes she actually got confused by it. There were times when things should be taken at face value just for the sake of their sanity. Azula, though, no, she'd rather face reality than the truth.

The truth was it was dark, and it would be hard to see if for the fact that she didn't need to. She could see the things on this landmass that stretched on as far as the metaphorical eye could see. They were crystaline, massive, and they wound around the dark - dark cavernous area, she supposed, ad it had always been a cavern despite her never paying it any mind before - like long mobius strips of ice and glass.

Her mind was devoid of memories, and memories were not stagnant or still. They changed, they breathed, and most importantly, they snuck up on you in the dark of night when you were staring at your ceiling wondering exactly why. Not why anything, just, why. Azula had too many nights like that. It wasn't exactly guilt, no, though she was starting to think it was related to it, it was more of a deep hunger for reality.

Really. Why? When you get right down to it.

These shapes were knowledge. They were things you could depend upon. They would always be the same. Two and two will always be four, and four is a number associated with the collection of objects in a certain quantity, all of which are words whose definitions are agreed upon by a general social construct. They shimmered without light. Even knowledge shifted about a little.

So what did Azula know.

There was a time, not so long ago, she'd have boasted everything, though she didn't exactly have memory for why. So without that bit of emotion, which was a tricky beast she'd have to look out for because they would descend upon you without a second's warning, and without the memories for it to feed upon, she was able to objectively realize there was an awful lot less than she thought there'd be.

One and one was two, except when it was 10. The entirety of the Epic of Ginshi was spiraling under the waters of uncertainty - she knew it but sometimes she would get rather confused by the middle chapters, where the supposed authoress would start referencing things she'd never even heard of - and there was her favorite movie's best lines lining the roof of the cave.

It was all in all a rather impressive collection of knowledge, but it seemed rather hollow There were tiny bits of fragments of memories buried inside the knowledge. She'd known that Absence Comes After the Storm was her favorite film only because she'd memorized so much of it. This was a logical inference, which was a dangerous little storm to watch out for.

Yes, sometimes impulses shot off of the crystals, shedding the cavern into some light, but it was a funny little thing. She was inside her brain and she'd yet to find any traces of emotion or identity, both things that she'd expected at least

The funny thing about emotion, she realized, is it tended to let you sneak upon it yourself, instead. It was a little like a alligator like that, but she'd never seen an alligator before. She'd never seen one hunt first-hand, either. Then again, not many had.

If she had, however, she would have recognized it when her pride snatched her by the leg and dragged her into the waters of uncertainty.

* * *

It was funny how she said 'Burn' when the only burning sensation any of them felt was a sharp freeze as the air reacted to the cold hatred of the fire In a moment, Katara would probably have time to notice the ice forming in the air around them.

But currently, her eyes were focused on Zuko blasting the fire back with as much force as he could muster. He strained against the heat, trying his best to divert it again, but this time the dragon didn't seem ready to stop. Firebending was in the breath, and what the dragon lacked in physical lungs - nothing emerging from anyone's head could be _real,_ they all reasoned separately - it more than made up for in unending hatred.

"Yes, yes, burn, you wretches, burn!"

"Shut! Up!" Zuko grunted behind the bursts. The air around them was slowly beginning to chill from the scalding hatred, a contradiction that no one had time to observe. Katara's eyes saw the ice forming, and without consulting her brain first, she bended the water in the air back at Xiao.

The blaze subsided as the dragon and Xiao tumbled backwards. As Xiao hit the ground, the gun fell from her hands and rolled away. And just like it came, the light slowly drained into the darkness, leaving only the vague memory of a dragon. "No! No!" She was already stumbling to her feet when Toph kicked up the earth around the weapon. "Don't! It's mine!"

"Not so tough without your dragon, huh?" Sokka taunted.

That was, probably, his biggest mistake.

There was still that cold glow in her eyes. The dragon wasn't the source of the fires, but only a way out. Xiao turned her eyes on Toph with an expression that even froze her. The look was so full of hatred that she could feel it. "Snoozles, you idiot."

The fire trailed behind her as she moved, which was something to behold in and of itself. It was like she forgot how to traverse distance in her rage. She was standing still and the next second, she was closer and closer, like the flicker of an old film reel. Toph couldn't quite get a good feel of when she was going to strike. She was wholly unprepared for the sensation when it happened.

The hate wanted to get out, so it snuck out from her eyes and her ears and her mouth, and in that brief moment, her fingers. The fist collided with Toph's stomach, but it was the explosion that knocked her prone. "Keep Azula safe," Zuko said to Yue. Then he charged after Xiao. She was scraping the concrete away with her fingers, leaving charred lines behind as she tore it piece by piece away.

"Where is it, where?" she mumbled incoherently.

"Now!" Sokka shouted, in what would prove to be a close contender for the title of biggest mistake.

He charged and was knocked aside as the blow connected before she even remembered to move. The blue fire hung in the air in the arc that her hand had not been seen to travel in. She was now frozen in the follow-through, staring at them, and for the first time, they could see the cracks growing worse.

Her red eyes contrasted with the azure haze behind them. The flames were creeping through the cracks, licking at her face, slobbering hungrily at the flesh. She wasn't quite complete, though. She turned back, this time slowly, as she remembered herself, and heaved her breaths in and out. "There." She took in a haggard sigh as she tore the concrete and threw it at the group. It crashed into the roof. She took a ragged sigh, " I have it."

The change that overtook her was complete. Control reasserted itself. Every movement came through, maybe even more fluidly than before, more real than even Azula had been. The gun in her hand, she looked stable, she looked completely in command of the situation, and she brought it up to her temple in a dazed way that wouldn't have looked out of place on a dreamwalker.

"Now everything is going to be fine."

And she pulled the trigger and the dragon emerged. "Katara!" Xiao shouted, stepping forward with the entire awkward weight of the dragon moving forward with her, causing her stumble. "Do that again and I will end you."

Katara's mouth decided to not consult her brain at this moment. "Bring it."

"Oh, trust me, it's already brought." She twirled the gun around in her fingers as the dragon spat out a blast of icy flame. It descended to the ground, and spread when it smashed against the concrete. And then it lit with azure fire.

* * *

Azula fought for breath as well as fought for her leg, which would have worrying implications if she lost it inside her own head. The waters of uncertainty were, well, notably murky and confusing, but whenever she got above surface she caught a glimpse of Pride.

It was sort of like a crocodile, but unlike a crocodile, which usually had things like flesh, muscle, and bone as well as complicated systems of organs, this lacked all of them. In fact, its form was a lack of things. She could see it, she could certainly feel it nip at her foot as she kicked it back down, but what she saw and felt _were_ absences.

It was like looking at the Fire Nation flag, or perhaps killing someone for it. Those were the sensations she was experiencing without either of those being present_._ Realistically nothing was there, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. It was weird when those two ideas were completely at odds with each other. She was starting to wonder if she'd had it wrong from the start.

She didn't get far in that thought as Pride emerged from the waters and stalked her. She could hear the menacing music, and she really could. Then it opened its maw that was like looking at the feeling inspired by the Fire Nation national anthem, and received a sudden and totally unexpected punch to the snout from Shame.

Shame was Pride's natural predator as well as its natural prey, and it looked like, well, it looked like a bear that was made from the morning after a rather lively party, which was something Azula had never experienced, but she somehow knew that was what it was. She'd seen a bear once, so this time she had an acute understanding of how it lacked the existence of any of those things that made it a bear. The tiny hat however remained.

Why the tiny hat, she was't sure.

She rubbed her eyes. The tiny hat remained, Pride was slinkling away, shaking its tail like a perfect score on a particularly difficult exam. Shame sniffed at Azula's hair. It didn't seem particularly vicious, so she tried to communicate. "Please don't do that."

It made a noise like a mother's scolding. Out of the corner of her eye she could see more of those things appearing. She didn't really come into own head to play zookeeper, though. "I'm sorry, all right? I have't exactly had time to do my hair."

The waters of uncertainty were murky, but the crystal knowledge was reflective. A thought occured to her. "Fine, I'll do it now. All right? Will that make you feel better?" Which was a strange thing to say to a feeling, she realized. In fact, she was certain she heard herself say that, but she didn't.

She looked around.

There was nothing but the figure of Shame pawing at the waters, and a few skittering Guilts that seemed to be coming from somewhere in the Dark. She didn't know what the Dark was, exactly, but she'd work towards it slowly.

She stared at herself. The reflection stared back, and then gave her an expectant look. She took a step back, and the reflection didn't. It just got rather annoyed. It was saying something, but she couldn't hear what since it was coming from beyond the reflection. She shouldn't have been surprised, she'd seen that Scion doing the same thing in the corrupted version of Ba Sing Se, but it still put her off.

Behind her, a creature slithered by with the noise of a blood-curdling shriek.

"My hair's a mess."

And it was a simple enough statement that made her examine herself. It wasn't surprising that she was a mess, except that it wasn't right that she was a mess. She wasn't Azula Houou, or rather, she wasn't the collection of flesh, bones, muscles, and complicated organs that she'd require someone to show her their medical degree to even touch, she was Azula, the impulses and thoughts and various animalized emotions of Azula taking on a shape.

She should look how she felt. So, logically, she felt like a mess.

Her hair was out on all ends, which was how it always got in the morning before she had time to do her hair. Her eyes were, well, they weren't quite sharp, but they weren't really unfocused. No, they were more watery. She chalked that one up to all the water she thought she was fighting her way out of. Her dress was -

She wasn't in that swimsuit anymore. She hadn't been in it at all five minutes ago, she'd changed it so it had always been her school uniform. The Bending Club armband was fastened to her arm, almost, dare she say it, proudly.

She cast a glance at Shame to make sure Pride didn't feel like giving it another go. Something about the tiny hat made her sympathetic to the poor thing. It never got a lot of use.

But the uniform itself looked creased and unwashed. She looked like she was tired, really. And she was. She was tired of being Azula Houou. The thought struck her with a lot of force. She was tired of being herself. What did that even mean, when one got down to it.

Which was a qualifier to almost all of her questions in this place.

It was one thing to realize that you were tired, and completely another to do something about it. What would she do about it? And then again, why did she hear herself ask herself that? It was getting a bit unnerving.

Azula had a very well defined sense of identity.

Unfortunately, she also was currently in, for want of a better term, two minds about itself.

She was only now becoming aware that the voice she was hearing had been talking the whole time. And the reflection threw its hands up in the air in frustration. Slowly but surely, Azula was deconstructing herself. And in the Dark, there was a distant howl.

* * *

Outside, Azula seemed restless. Perhaps thrashing was the better word. She'd never seen anyone in that much of a fit during sleep, but Yue was not one to judge. She was more concerned with the others well-being.

The azure flames were creeping across the ground like frost on a cold winter'ws morning. It was a slow burn, but it had a sort of unstoppable inevitability about it that slowed everyone right down to a stop. "Okay, what's happening?"

"The roof is on fire."

"Oh, is that all. Thanks Zuko."

"Does anyone have any ideas how to avoid becoming flamed to death? Because right about now, that'd be super great and awesome," Sokka moaned. He was leaping across the roof as the flames crawled towards him. "Also now would be great, thanks."

"I don't know!" Katara shouted back. She tried to bend the ice around the flames, but they refused to move like the flames were pinning them down. Xiao laughed in delight as she saw them struggle. She placed one hand over her shattered eye as she arched her back fully, and laughed at the sky.

"You're too funny. I'm going to enjoy immolating you!"

"This is going well," Toph observed.

"Ha ha, very funny. Look, I'm going to die so if someone would just, I don't know, do something awesome, I'd really appreciate it."

Yue watched the flames crawling towards them with growing apprehension. "Don't let them reach Azula," she heard Zuko call, but she didn't know if she could lift the girl, especially with her moving and squirming like she was having some fevered dream.

"Yes, yes, don't! Just try and stop them!" Xiao teased. She was in control, and she was loving every minute of it with a childlike spite and viciousness that shot from her mouth like venom from a serpent. The blue flames were starting to gush out from the dragon's head, freezing the air around her as it flailed about.

"Sounds like she can't go long without shooting off her flames," Toph pointed out, "Dude's a total spaz."

"Sounds like Azula, all right."

"Well, yeah, Katara, that's sorta her thing. Okay, I got an idea."

"What's that?"

"Stop her from shooting her flames for five seconds so I can punch her in the face."

"That's a good plan, but how do we make it work?" Sokka realized that he'd just volunteered himself for that job. A momentary pause, and he said, "I have an idea but it's only just crazy enough to work."

"Always a good sign," Toph retorted. "What's the idea."

"If you say knock that gun away from her, so help me, Sokka," Zuko grunted. Sokka looked defiant for a moment before it slowly washed away. "It is, isn't it? That's your brilliant idea." He was ducking through the flames at this point, trying to burn them away. "Well great. How do we do that?"

"Why are you all looking at me?" Sokka moaned. "Okay, okay, look, she's got a big head."

"Duh, she's Azula."

"She's Azula with a dragon coming out of her head, so, let's knock her down?"

"I can hear you!"

"And we probably shouldn't be shouting across the rooftop discussing our strategy, so, if someone would stop the fires!"

"I don't know how!"

"Because you can't! No one can! These fires are going to burn away everything until there's othing left. A cleansing fire," she breathed in the smell of chilled smoke, "Ah, that is refreshing."

The fires were getting closer now, they were close enough that Yue could hear them crackle over the voices. What they needed was the wind to blow away the fires, or the oceans to rise up, but none of those things seemed to be happening. What they needed right now was divine intervention.

Yue blinked. Things suddenly made some modicum of sense.

Divine intervention was, for most people, supplicating to a spirit or deity for help. For Yue, it was merely a matter of applying herself. Everything she did was divine intervention. She'd done it before to protect Aang, she could do it again.

She stood up. "You're wrong!" she told Xiao, resolutely. Then she clasped her hands and prayed that she knew what she was doing. The faint glow of moonlight radiated off of her, her hands clenched tighter together as the flames crept closer to the moonlight. "Please, please work!"

"Impossible. I don't accept this!" Xiao shrieked. "Burn her alive!"

The dragon reared its head back as the cold azure flames streamed from its mouth, its whiskers streaming after it as it wrapped itself around and exhaled. The flames traveled at the moonlight slowly. burning the air with its icy chill. It seared around the moonlight, diverted like a stream around a pebble, and Yue shrieked in fright.

She could feel it burning the light. The tips of her fingers felt cold, and as the flames continued to press back against the firestorm, she could feel ice clinging to her hands. Her teeth clattered. She could hear her friends calling out, rushing to help, but she couldn't understand the words.

All she knew is she had to hold on. The flames weren't touching her. The chill was of the mind. She could feel the hatred washing over her, but she refused to be frozen in it. Xiao was strong, but Yue believed in Azula.

As the flames danced around the glow of moonlight, Xiao was thinking nothing but hate. There was nothing in her but hate. She hated the light, she hated Yue, she hated that she couldn't seem to break through. She hated the noise the others were making. And most of all, she hated that they were fighting back.

She was the true self.

So with a roar the dragon unleashed a blast of flame and chilled heat that slammed against the moonlight with a blinding flash. She breathed heavily, the feeling draining from her mind as the dragon faded away. She gripped the gun tightly in her hand. "No, no, no," she repeated while the others clenched their eyes shut. "No! No! No!" Then she shrieked. It started off as a heart-searing sound and then devolved into a mirthless laughter.

Yue opened her eyes. The moonlight held. It emitted from her, and where it reached, the flames were doused. She looked like a goddess stepping out of the clouds, and the others opened their eyes to see her emerge, unscathed. "Yue?"

"What happened?" Toph asked. She felt like she was missing half of what was going on.

"The flames are out - Yue did something," Sokka said, "Yue's totally kicking butt."

Xiao gripped the gun tighter in her hand and brought it up to her forehead. "No! I won't accept this. Don't you dare think you've won. I can't lose. I'm stronger than you, better than you - I'm the perfect one! I'm perfect!"

"Guys, I think she's finished," Toph said.

"Yeah," Zuko grunted. "Let's end this."

Xiao's finger steadied around the trigger. "You really think I'm beat just because your goddess pulled off some little trick?" The mirthless laugh returned. "Oh, Zuzu, I hate you all so much. This is exactly why you can't win. You can't see the forest for the trees."

She pulled the trigger, her whole head rearing back at the force.

"I really wish she'd stop doing that."

* * *

The Dark was deep in the caverns of her brain, where even Pride did not prowl. Things could be heard, distant whispers of things that she couldn't erase. She knew she had to go through it, but she couldn't.

She was too busy arguing with herself.

"I refuse."

It was strangely liberating to tell herself where to stick it, but at the same merit, rather pointless. She was talking to herself after all. And all she could figure was the faint whispers of what she meant. It was like knowing something without being told. One minute ignorance, and the next, enlightenment.

That's why she knew she took that rather poorly. "I don't care. I'm not going through there.' Her reflections seemed to be unable to decide what to do about that. "I can't. I can't bend in here. I don't know how I know that, I just do."

The realization that she was going through the Dark whether she liked it or not was already there, but she didn't get anywhere without being stubborn. She cast a glance at the waters for signs of the lurking beast of Pride, but saw no hide or hair of it. Most of the emotions had scurried off, though from time to time she could see it somewhere.

Anticipation, Excitement, all of these creatures had no real shape, but she knew them just at a glance. The shapes she gave them were of animals. She wondered why that was. They could be anything.

It was obvious, then, as she told herself, that it was how she conceived them. There was no explanation, only understanding. They were not things she'd never be able to conceive because that would be impossible here. The only limits to shape were her own imagination and for all her cunning, Azula lacked that.

She didn't like frivolous things. Why bother reading fiction? It wasn't real. It didn't have any merit. Literature was a matter of understanding society and its growth, but she was making excuses. She had interests besides her own self-improvement, she argued with herself.

"But they have never been of any use."

That wasn't right. No, it was completely wrong. Azula always lies. Why did he always say that? Why was he right? Why was she lying to herself?

"I'm insane, aren't I?" she asked in a moment of total clarity.

At least she was sane enough to realize it. She was going mad. Things didn't make sense anymore. Was she becoming lucid enough to see her insanity, or insane enough to sense that saity was slipping away.

"I'm scared, aren't I?" She said this with a strangely detached understanding. "I'm scared of death. Why am I scared of dying, when I never feared it before?"

She was only a second year in high school. She had a life to live. That was something, wasn't it? Something to be scared of losing, at any rate. Mortality was a funny thing. It crept up on you. It wasn't an emotion, it was a knowledge that breathed and lived like one. There was no bargaining with it, no tempering it - it was always there.

Death was, after all, never unbenownst to its prey.

"I don't want to be afraid. It's a waste of effort."

All the same, she was. She knew this. There was no point in arguing that. That's what the Dark was. It was a living shadow, where emotions like fear prowled, hungry. Where knowledge of evil lurked and radiated off of it despair and dread. Everyone has the Dark inside their heads, Azula Houou, but she was different.

"Why are we even using our name? Why am I even saying this. We should know what we're thinking."

That was the mystery, wasn't it?

But she knew the answer, didn't she? She'd been fighting against it so long and she was tired and she didn't even know why she was fighting at all to begin with. "Everyone's been there this whole time, telling me that there was something more to me. That was pointless, there was't anything more. I knew who I was."

But...

"Not who I am. I don't know who I am. Everything that made me who I was is gone. Even my father is gone and I can't let that go. I can't because there was never anything there to begin with."

It was then that loneliness came upon her. The Dark beckoned her with dark, seductive oblivion. And she looked there, trying to remember anything about her friends. Ty Lee, Mai, she knew their names but she couldn't remember them. She'd given up all of the last scraps of memories to Xiao. She shivered, feeling alone.

"I don't even remember them. I've forgotten everyone, everyone but - him."

Something in the Dark seemed to call out to her. She wasn't alone anymore.. And while she didn't know when she stopped being who she was and became who she is, she did know there was a way to find out.

The Dark was closer than it appeared to be. It was right in front of her. Travel through the mind goes at the speed of lightning, and Azula had always been one to think on the edge of the thunderbolt. And the Dark was the pitch in the noon.

She didn't need to see, but she wished she could.

She wasn't alone. She could feel... him...

And it made everything better. The walls unfurled their tendrils and the light of some bio-luminescent plants seemed to flicker to life. The Dark was like a swamp of the mind. Uncertainty had drained away into terror, and though you waded through it, it was the noises in the pitch that scared you most.

Not because you didn't know what it was, but because you didn't know how close they were.

The Dark opened up to let her in, and something was waiting for her inside.

* * *

It had been going so _well_, too. Or at least, Sokka had thought so. Xiao was breathing heavily as she recovered from their attack. She held the gun limply on her finger as she fought to keep her breath. The dragon was sagging, weighing her down.

She was on the ropes. When she tried to straighten herself, a water whip lashed her in the back causing her to stumble forward into a waiting pile of rocks that jutted up at just the right moment. Zuko struck her with the full brunt of his firebending at just that moment, leaving her sprawled on the floor next to Sokka.

He kicked away her gun. "This is over!" Xiao's eyes weren't on him, though, she was staring at the gun as it rolled away. She held her breath as it skidded to a stop by the bent and twisted cage. He brought his sword up and tried to remember that this wasn't real. It was just like stabbing any other spirit, albeit one who looked like the girl who'd killed his best friend that one time.

Which he did get better from, but still, this was dangerous territory. He couldn't just stab people when he was mad. He kept reminding himself that as he began to plunge the weapon into her. He expected her to fight back, to squirm, or even make a sound. Instead, the sword pierced her through her heart and then, nothing.

Yes, nothing.

He opened his eyes tentatively. She was staring at him, with her eyes aflame. Then, her hands were on the blade and she pulled it out without him even having a chance to push back. As she did this, the flames gushed from the wound and knocked him on his back.

She looked at the sword, forgetting to move it up to eye-level and just having it appear there. "You thought this toy could finish me?" she asked, her face flickering between expressions rapidly. She laughed, that same mirthless cackle, and threw it aside. "I need my gun. I can't - can't-" she was fighting back the laughter, as if she'd just gotten the universe's big punchline.

"Guys," Toph said, "I don't even need to see her to know something's wrong with Power Princess the Second."

The flames were crawling up her dress now, and though the fabric was alight, it wasn't burning. She was beginning to rain down embers around herself when she walked, and the flames just kept pouring out. Along her arms, the cracks began to spread. Flames were peeking out, and smoke billowed above her as it vanished into the deep black cloud above the city.

"It's eating her from the inside out," Yue stated. "That's why she needs that gun. She doesn't know how to call it any other way."

"You mean that's the only thing stopping her from -"

"Yes. She can't control it forever," Yue sighed. "It's so sad."

She was lurching across the rooftop, leaving a trail of fire behind her as she went, disappearing and reappearing as she forgot how to show she was moving. She existed in the same way as a ghost, drifting between what was real and what wasn't.

And the gun was the only thing she knew how to use.

"We need to keep her away from that thing!" Zuko shouted as he charged. He hefted his blades up and the sparks danced between them. Xiao's eyes lit up, and the fire watched him from inside her, the longing for freedom gleaming across her blood red pupils. The fires wanted to consume everything.

And without even needing to move, she did. Her foot had collided with him because that's all she could focus on doing. It wasn't a kick, it was a statement in physical form. He dropped to the ground and rolled.

"Oh no you don't!" Toph slid the concrete block the gun had rested on forward, causing it to jump across the rooftop. She could hear Xiao gasp in fright as she hurried ever closer. And Katara and Yue watched as the immolated girl launched herself at the gun. Clinging onto it tightly as it teetered closer to the abyss.

"I have you," she said, though her voice wavered uncertainly. "I have you and the fires, they want me to destroy you."

* * *

The Dark crawled in behind her, in a world enshrouded by darkness the only way was forward. She could hear Fear and Terror and all those other buried, primal emotions scraping away in the dark. The organic light shone off the walls, the tendrils of the bog reaching into the gray stone, covering it in midnight blue moss. Azula wasn't alone.

Well, she was, but she wasn't wholly herself, either. That meant things could still grab her in the dark and drag her down. She didn't want to find out what would happen.

The emotions here didn't make her see the color of the dentist's office or the noise of an incoming truck, they were the core emotions, the ones that had been part of the reason the species as a whole survived. And the reason she was above the rest of the world was that she knew to conquer them.

Fear? Hah! Nothing to fear if you have strength. The strong fear nothing. Terror? Bah! That's nothing compared to a rational, logical mind sharpened to a point.

And here, in the Dark, she discovered she never really escaped them. No, she'd just thrown them into the Dark and let them fester and grow. And they'd be waiting for that strength to fail, for that mind to rust.

And she realized if they were ever going to take her, now was the time. They were close. The wolf's jaws were at her throat, the serpent lay in wait. And dawn was never going to come to the Dark. She had to keep moving.

Knowledge here was different than the crystaline tendrils she'd seen before. Here, they absorbed the light while everything else kept its distance. She'd had the misfortune of brushing against one before, and quickly learned why. The knowledge seared.

She knew, with terrifying clarity, that she could suffer pain. It was a kind of knowledge that most took for granted, but it came from somewhere. Pain kept you alive. She appreciated that. But she still chose to ignore it.

The memories here were the first to go, she wondered what they would have been like. Ghosts in the marsh, roaming around replaying the pantomime of her life. Would she remember her father here? Would she remember her mother?

She had a mother. That was one of those bits of knowledge that stayed. It was a quantifiable fact. Zuko and she couldn't have just popped into existence at her father's behest. There was a process for these things. It apparently involved a lot of waiting and paperwork, though apparently ceremony was strictly optional.

She didn't want to think about her mother, though, so into the Dark she went. Into the Dark everything went, eventually. She didn't think anyone did it differently. Everyone made mistakes - she was just better at pretending she didn't.

Terror struck like a serpent, lashing out at her while her mind wandered. She nearly got bit. She didn't doubt it had some kind of venom, one that would leave her a gibbering coward. It was small. Terrible things usually were.

It rattled like - like terror and it looked like a serpent the color of, of terror. And it was doing things to her head the way it slithered about like a serpent made of terror. It wasn't anything, she couldn't figure out what it was doing to her, but just hearing and seeing it made her respond like this. She needed to steel her mind.

She reached for a gun that wasn't there and she tried to will something to fight back but she couldn't even begin to think what. It was crawling up the vine of a phosphorous plant. Its silhouette shifted and changed as it moved. It was everything all at oe and her brain struggled to comprehend it.

Terror was the curse of the blind. It was what could be lurking. She needed to focus. It was a serpent, and she'd dealt with worse than serpents. It couldn't do anything to her with careful, calm, reasonable logic.

The problem there is that reason and logic had just booked an impromptu flight somewhere warmer.

_Something told her time was short. Somewhere, a voice that she couldn't hear urged her forward._

She didn't have time now for terror. She needed to focus her mind into a point. This was her mind and she would be its master whether it liked it or not.

Terror lunged and she -

- she didn't know exactly what she was doing, but her body moved without her bidding. Her hands grabbed it and wrestled it and shaped it and terror became something like a staff in her hand. Its wriggling stopped.

She was still terrified. She didn't know why she knew her time was so short, but she knew it. She had to take that terror to drive her forward and there in her hand it had been turned into a weapon. It had been sharpened to a point.

Fear lurked somewhere in the bog. And now she'd fashioned that primal terror into something to fight back. She could feel her feet soaking in the waters underfoot, but she kept running. She was making an awful lot of noise, but she didn't have time to be afraid, either.

Fear happened to everyone, when it happened to Azula Houou, it wasn't exactly prepared.

The bog had been going on forever. Azula's feet were soaked and tired and she came to a point where all the knowledge she'd thrown into the Dark had come. They wrapped around like a terrible plant, its tendrils going everywhere in the bog. And around it, nothing came. Even the waters kept their distance. Even from a distance, she could feel the knowledge seeking to make itself known.

Mortality, the ultimate knowledge - literally.

She was afraid. It was coming off her like a stink, and she knew that. She knew that Fear like a hound on the hunt was coming for her and she wouldn't be able to find her way out without first going through it.

She'd heard of a wolf eating the moon. Fear must have been its mentor. The thing emerged from the swamp and kept a respectable distance from the knowledge. The knowledge of evil hung lower than others. It crawled beneath it and approached her.

She tightened her grip on her makeshift spear. It suddenly felt altogether futile Fear was massive, it had a massive mane of absolute fear and dread Its teeth were the color of everything she'd ever been frightened of in her life mixed with the primal understanding of fear.

Here, where Mortality was known, it had made a home. Fitting, really. It seemed to be made of the same materials Uncertainty was left behind in its wake. Fear was a natural predator It knew to wait for its prey to corner itself before making itself known, and it knew how to get its prey so wrapped up in terror that it wouldn't even hear it coming.

Well, Azula thought, she had the terror well in hand. She'd be angry about the pun later, but right now, she'd just have to use it. Not even fear is undefeatable. Confidence, strength, if she had that, she had nothing to fear. And Azula was perfect. She was so perfect that when you looked really close you barely even saw the imperfections.

You didn't see the girl who knew, in her heart of hearts, that no one would care if she was devoured by this beast. No one would shed a tear if she never returned.

You didn't see the girl who had become so wrapped up in the fear of being imperfect that she'd made sure everyone knew, at every opportunity, that she wasn't.

But Fear saw by scent. And there was no way she could disguise that.

Its quarry was cornered. It was beaten. And it had emerged from the Dark to drag her into it forever. For the first time she wondered what lay on the other side of the Dark, and with a most fervent wish, she really wanted to find out

Grip loosened on the spear. It was useless if she just grabbed it like it were some kind of stick. She needed to be calm and reasonable and use the serpent right or else she was just going to hurt someone, probably herself, and that wouldn't do anyone any good.

_And they're in danger, right now, she will kill them, even if she has to kill herself to do it, the voice on the wind whispered in her ear._

They were expecting her to pop up unfazed by any of this, to be Azula Houou, the perfect, capable, ruthless leader. She'd always been ruthless, she didn't see the point in changing that. She'd just have to use it right this time.

Fear pounced upon her and pinned her to the ground. Its maw reeked of the feeling of all small woodland creatures that are hunted every day. She couldn't loosen her arms but she could shift her weight just enough to free one of her legs.

The growl it made sounded like a thousand. She was surrounded in her own mind by one wolf. Human beings were an evolved species. They were better than the small furry creatures that ended up being eaten by any variety of wolf.

Except..

Except sometimes, once in a blue moon, the furry creature gets the upper hand. It relies on instinct and it relies on blind terror and somehow it's the wolf who's running for safety. Human beings didn't get this far without once in their lives relying on that self-same terror.

Azula kicked.

Fear shuddered and stumbled as Azula squirmed for freedom, her feet becoming an increasing source of frustration for the predator. It snapped at her angrily and then yelped when it realized that her arms were free. It saw the spear come and it hurried back into the blackened crystal vines.

It looked uncertain. If it had eyes, it would have been following her warily. It didn't, but the sensation of its eyes on her was still present. And she, she gripped that spear tight in her hand and waited. She couldn't push her luck. If she missed, she'd be trapped beneath those crystals.

She didn't have time but she had to make it. She had to survive.

She wouldn't stop until everything that stood against her was dead or destroyed. She was not merciful. And she knew her Stranger was a nightmare given flesh, and it wouldn't think twice about destroying everything in her path, no matter for her own safety because-

- and the realization hit her hard.

It was enough to raise Fear's haunches. It snarled like a death-rattle.

She should have dropped the spear. She should have stood there, her throat out for the wolf at her door, waiting, expectantly. That thought should have left her vulnerable to all those negative emotions, just like they'd done so many times before.

Who would miss a child so horrible, she terrified her own mother?

But Fear wasn't ready for the spear to pierce it through the chest. The noise it made was lonely and pathetic and Azula couldn't believe her hand had moved. The Dark was full of despair, it fed on it like an aqueduct after the rain.

It should have been her on the ground, moaning weakly.

But she wasn't.

And that was that.

She had to hurry. Xiao was still running rampant and, as a small spark went off on the horizon, it would end terribly for everyone if she didn't hurry. She wasn't a hero, she wasn't going to become a good girl, but she wasn't about to let those fools get themselves blown to smithereens when she could prevent it

She stopped running. She sprinted, instead.

* * *

The finger was on the trigger again and she seemed calmer again. Happiness was a warm gun. However, beneath the veneer of control, it was clear she was beginning to crack. The lines on her face were worce than ever, and the fire was starting to come out from the skin. Her dress was still on fire. It was like watching an effigy take up Northern Roulette.

She seemed so relieved when she pulled on the trigger. It took her a few seconds to register the pain in her hand and the gun firing wildly into the air. It rolled off her fingers and spiraled through the air.

"No!"

It was a cry of anguish. She fell to her knees. "No! Come back!"

It hit the cage and rolled down. She watched in desperation, trying to will her body towards it. it propelled like a torpedo on the ground, stretching her hand. She didn't even notie her hand was wet, or that Katara had lowered her water whip and watched the girl struggle for the firearm.

"Nice one, Katara," Sokka said with a glowing smile. "Let's see her get it back this time."

She scrambled and she scraped but her hand was too short. It was too shattered and weak to stretch any further and the gun teetered on the brink. "I need you!"

"Now I know this is an imposter. Azula doesn't need anyone or anything." Toph crossed her arms. It was a grudging acknowledgement of admiration. "She's ten times as tough as you, and nicer to boot. I can't believe I said that."

"She might be a part of Azula, but she's half as scary."

"Shut up, Sokka."

"It's true, Zuko. You know it."

He grunted, and that was that. Xiao was watching the gun start its slow fall down into the fire. Her face contorted with pain and anger. Hatred shot out of her fingertips and the sudden burst of hear caused the cage to shift and the gun to hurtle down into the blaze below.

Her hand trailed after it. A small whimper was the only noise she made. She looked like a girl who had lost her only friend in the world.

"Azula-"

"Quiet." The voice was low, husky, and cold. "Katara, this is all your fault. I'm the real Azula now. I'm better than her. I'm not weighed down by stupid things like regrets, and friendship. If you'd only accepted my hatred and died like you should have this would never have happened."

She stood up. It was like watching her do it twice as she tried to collect herself enough. The flames were getting more intense now. They were causing the roof to feel like the middle of the tundra. "You may think you're the real Azula, but you're not," Katara said, weakly. Staring at those eyes was like staring into the eyes of the wolf. It was clear murder was foremost on her mind.

"I am the real Azula!"

"You're just a part of her. You can't survive without the rest -"

"- Just watch me!" She stumbled forward, collapsing to her knees and screaming. The sound echoed for miles. "You think you've beat me? You think you're better than me? You're no one."

_Azula's eyes threatened to open. She was finally calm in Yue's arms. She was ready, but she was still so deep in slumber._

"I have all of her memories. She gave it up, so why shouldn't I take it? I'm the real Azula now, And I'll make you see that. Oh," she began to laugh. It was a bitter sound, like frost on a cold winter's morning. "Oh you'll see. Believe me."

The flames had turned on her. They were eating away at her. Her hair was catching on fire, and her body was expanding, ever so slightly, like a can under pressure. All it would take was one spark, one little breach and they would see.

It was hypnotic, like watching a fuse burning right in ront of them. Yue turned pale as her hair and tried desperately to make sense of everything she could sense. All of that hatred was begging to be released. It wasn't going to stop at consuming its host. All of it was just waiting for her to break, and then - Yue said, "She's going to blow." It wasn't the shock that she was expecting, but it put into words what everyone was thinking.

"Sweetness, do something now."

"What? Me? Why don't you do something, Toph!"

"I don't know what to do. Snoozles!"

"I'm thinking."

"Some help you are. Snowflake, Matchstick, either of you -"

"I told you, I'm thiinking!"

"Not you, Snoozles."

_The spark was something she could use. She could feed on the same flames, but she could squelch them, too. She wasn't going to let them consume her, not when she'd come this far. There was just one thing she had to do._

"I can't think of anything! There's nowhere to hide. We either take our chances with the fires on the ground or take our chances up here."

"Those are bad chances," Zuko grunted. He wasn't coming up with anything better. "I pushed back the flames before."

"Yeah, but you've got to keep on pushing, and she's only got to push once."

"Yue stopped those flames -"

"I don't even know how. And I don't know if I can stop this -"

"It's better than just dying!"

"Calm down, Toph, I'm sure everything will just, uh, work out. Think positively."

"That's really not helping right now, Katara!"

_She had to push on through the Dark to the place her dreams were. And the thing about dreams were they were the only way you could -_

- wake up.

Azula's eyes shot open and she nearly hurt herself sitting up. She was relatively unnoticed in the hubbub. Only Yue seemed to realize what happened and she'd only managed to loose a stunned gasp when she pushed to the front.

She'd expected them to turn their eyes to her, those queen bees and freaks and geeks, and say, "Save me." They didn't, but she liked to imagine if they did, she would have said, "Yes." Instead their eyes turned to her with a mix of relief and terror.

She had to latch onto it Turn it into something useful. "Get behind me."

"You've got to be kidding me. So, what, you take the brunt of it? Way to be macho, spice girl." Toph stood resolutely by her side. "If we get blown up, I'm not hiding."

"Well, I'd rather not blow up, but this is something I've got to face myself."

She was about to burst. The face was so like hers,, even through the blaze. It was what she saw. It was always what she saw. Everything was in place but it was still wrong. And she could feel it holding her tightly from inside.

She felt like the first person on the scene from the bomb squad. She had to take the terror in her gut and make it her weapon. She couldn't think of what to say. Whatever she said now, everyone would hear.

Let them be witnesses, she thought, to the rebirth of Azula Houou. Like a phoenix, rising again.

"I know why you're doing this."

It took Xiao a minute to respond. She was too busy forcing every ounce of hatred into this inferno that raged inside her. An inferno she could feel welling up inside herself. How dare she, how _dare_ she.

And she understood why she dared. Spirits help her, she understood why everyone abandoned her, she understood why she was alone. She saw the truth and she had felt it in the Dark and taken it out into the light to show everyone.

"I know you think everyone you've ever cared for abandoned you. I know how it feels to be left behind. All of those feelings - I see them here. We made this place, this den of dragons, because this is what we thought we wanted." She remembered the streets of Ba Sing Se, she could see them burning in the distance.

"This doesn't change anything, Xiao - Azula. this doesn't change anything, and I'll go mad if I think it will. Did destroying those streets make you feel any better? Did they make our mother come back?"

Xiao was staring at her. The hatred that she stored inside her seemed almost uncertain now about how to proceed. If it had a face, it would probably be buried in a map. Azula would have laughed at it if she wasn't so sure she was about to explode herself.

"Did anything we do even matter to our father? Does it bring him back to life? Does it make us more perfect for him? When did we ever do anything for ourselves?" She couldn't bite back that bitter chuckle. "Whenever it suited us, of course. We took power to protect ourselves. We relied on no one but ourselves. That's the irony, you know. You do know, of course you do. This has all been one big farce to the both of us."

"Azula, what are you talking about?" Katara sounded worried. She was getting closer and Azula wanted to push her back, but she couldn't anymore.

"I thought I hated you, Katara. You and all your friends - you always seemed to be so happy and you excluded me. I was alone in a crowded room. Surely you've heard that before. People can be loneliest when they're surrounded by the people who are supposed to be their friends."

"I thought I hated you too, Azula -"

"Shut up, Katara. I have to face this myself. We don't hate you. I know that now, and she's probably known this the whole time."

Xiao bowed her head. She seemed weaker now, but the threat was still lingering. The flames of hatred were still burning inside her. They were a small bonfire compared to the inferno they were before, but even the smallest spark can reignite.

She was face to face with herself. And everyone was listening. "I finally figured it out. I was so scared, so terrified inside my own head that it finally occured to me why it seemed everyone left me, it finally made sense why I was so full of hate that I couldn't let out."

She couldn't turn back now.

"No one abandoned me. I abandoned them."

"Mother abandoned me! I was just a girl."

"I was never just a girl. Zuko was terrified of me, and Mother thought I was a monster. She wasn't wrong. You disagreed. You were wrong, but you disagreed anyway." She sighed. This made it all the harder. "I'm - I'm sorry."

She never uttered those words and meant it. She meant it now. She didn't want to say these next words, but they had to be said.

"I hated everyone because I couldn't stand to admit that the only thing in this world I truly hated more than anything was me. Everything I did was projecting that hate so I didn't have to face it. I can't do that anymore."

She closed her eyes. Memories were rushing back.

"I hurt everyone because I couldn't bear hurting myself."

Xiao stared at her with a smouldering look - Azula noted that was a literal assessment. The flames seemed to have died and Xiao seemed to be losing corporeal form. She wasn't real. She was every ounce of self-loathing she'd ever had. No wonder she was so terrifying.

"Azula -"

She turned around with palpable dread. She didn't want to face this part. The pity was the worst of it. She could feel it radiating off of them. They had it easy. "Don't. Don't you dare pity me. I'm still Azula Houou."

"Well, yeah." Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. It was an awkward silence and he seemed destined to fill those until the end of time. "So. You're back. Nice maze, you made. Very creative?"

"Thank you. It was an expression of my own impotent rage towards the world in an attempt to remove myself from it. I thought it came out lovely."

"You're actually making a joke?"

Toph sounded incredulous. "We sure we got the right Azula?"

"I don't know. I kind of like an Azula with a sense of humor."

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm still ruthless, efficient, and cruel. It just so happens that I have decided that I don't wish to be that way towards you." She crossed her arms. After a while, she thought she'd give Sokka a break. The awkward silence was so full of questions that she could feel them waiting to be asked.

"I didn't want to admit that in front of you all. But if I only admitted it to myself, I could deny it. The problem with being such a good liar is sometimes you forget what's the truth and what's a fabrication."

"You know Mom didn't -"

"Yes. And, Zuko, I never thanked you, either."

He turned red and stiffened. "For what?" He was so predictable, she thought. He'd be noble, prince-like even, but he'd be ashamed of it. It was ridiculously Zuko, and some things would never change.

"You didn't leave my side. I wouldn't have in the same situation, but you already knew that."

The fires below were getting worse, but Azula didn't seem worried. "Now, we need to get out . Which seems to be a problem. Unfortunately, I'll be leaving how you solve that up to you."

"That's sounding more like the old Power Princess," Toph said, supremely happy about that. Azula shook her head.

"No, it's more that I think I'm about to collap-"

* * *

In a world of absolute darkness, the maze spread out around like the gnarled branches of a tree. It was reaching, searching for something. In the darkness, there was absolute clarity. Everyone had a dark part of their minds.

It fed upon it.

It had no shape or mass of its own, but what it didn't have it could borrow. And it had found a ripe source. Spirits were defined not by some mystical force, but by the dreams and minds of people. They were the fruit of their existence. Gods need belief to live.

It existed much like them, but it had purpose.

It walked those halls in its dreams. Its hunger wasn't sated. It could see the memories, the regrets, the guilt, and it longed to consume it.

The Labyrinth of Lethe was a prison. But no prison could hold it for long. It found its ways through the maze. Its hunger led it towards freedom. And when its hunger was finally abated, the world would burn.

The glutton stirred.

And in Azula's dreams, Lee appeared before her, casting a long shadow across the lavendar room. The curtains had been thrown open. And he looked at her, and even the smile of the mask couldn't disguise the graveness in his voice.

"We don't have long. It's going to start it all over again."

"Start what all over again?"

Lee paused, and in hushed tones, he uttered two words. "The Unification."

_To be continued._


	30. Anthems for a Sixteen Year Old Girl

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Taiyou kakusu kirisame hikari wo ubai, shinjiru mono nakushiteta boku wa nayami dakedo."_

_("The rain hides the sun, stealing away its light. I am troubled as I lost what I believed in.")_

_- Never More_

_Shihoko Hirata_

**Chapter 29: **_Anthems for a Sixteen Year Old Girl_

It surfaced from the primordial ooze, not a mind but a mirror of minds. It lacked impulses and nerves, it had no imagination or room for emotion. It existed, but it was a pale existence. Not even its shape was its own. It drew upon what it fed, and it changed.

What emerged was a predator. But it needed no talons, no claws or teeth. Instead, it looked like some manner of ape. It walked upright, on two legs, with arms that ended in remarkably dextrous fingers. And despite appearances, it didn't use tools. It didn't need to.

Existence sufficed.

Like a shadow puppet, what existence it had wrought was only an illusion that it cast. It became what it needed. It prowled memories, lurking like a tiger. It stood out, and yet, remained unseen. It waited for its moment.

But, something had changed. There was some new stimuli, evoking something akin to a mental response in the creature.

No, it wasn't a spirit, not quite yet, but it was close. And it was beginning to learn that all which exist can, ultimately, die. And its finely-tuned instincts turned to its prey and realized new and frightening information

It adapted.

Fight or flight.

Either would do. But it was good at the first one. And it vanished into the shadows as if it never existed except for the flash of its eyes, inhuman eyes on a human face that looked so friendly and kind.

* * *

Ba Sing Se burned.

No, to be more accurate, Ba Sing Se burned away, the flames were closing in, and as the sky burned to nothing but ash and it exposed around it a wholly different sky. It was an observatory star-show, bleeding away the projection to reveal underneath the bright red sky was a maze of grey stone. It carried over into the horizon and underneath the skyline of the city. The fires still burned, making the shadows above long and treacherous.

Things squirmed in the shadows. They weren't human, but they weren't quite spirits either.

"Oh my." Yue's assessment was echoed by the others one by one. Except, of course, for Azula. The girl had wasted no time in passing out, but now they were trapped and they didn't exactly have an idea of what to do next.

"Someone's going to have to go looking," Katara said. "We can't stay here."

"Let me just teleport us up to the maze," Sokka said, voice dripping with deadpan venom. "Oh, look, I don't have that sort of magical power. Sorry."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Look, Sokka, there was no call for that."

"I just don't see what we're going to do about this," he said with a sigh. "We're in the middle of the maze, aren't we. I mean, look at that. It's literally all around us. Where do we go from here?"

"Down."

They all looked at Yue. She was radiating light all around her, a calm and pleasant sort. "The maze carries on downwards. I'm certain that somewhere close, there's a door that will take us to where we need to go."

The light dimmed and she seemed suddenly much heavier. "I think I might have overdone it," she said, as means of sheepish explanation. "I need to get my breath back. I exerted myself a lot."

"Don't worry about it," Toph said. "We'll find it, right, Snoozles?"

Sokka wanted to protest. His body was willing him to, but it just dropped, sagging in a cartoonish fashion. His head hung low. "Fine, let's get it over with. You coming, Zuko?"

"Yeah." He crossed his arms. "The two of us will make this go much faster."

"Great." Sokka relaxed. "As long as I'm not alone."

"Who said you were going alone?"

"Toph, you can't even -"

"That hasn't been a problem before."

"I know, I mean, I just - I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Nope."

* * *

"The Unification of the two worlds. The Spirit World and the human world - I know all about that." Azula seemed impatient. She couldn't help the nagging feeling that time was passing outside at an accelerated rate. The room was eerie, as well, and she just couldn't read Lee underneath the mask. He _sounded_ desperate.

But was he really?

"Aang stopped it when he defeated Agni."

Lee nodded. "More or less. He defeated Agni with the help of the bonds of friendship he made. They were like little red strings that bound him to every person he's ever met. Some were stronger than others, but together they had the strength to prove to Agni that humanity was worth sparing."

He tilted his head. "Aang confronted Agni on two levels, you see. Not only did he defeat the physical manifestation of Agni, he actually confronted Agni's true form in the space between the two worlds."

"How do you know this?"

Lee chuckled. "Well, I know everything about Agni and Aang. Just say I'm really well informed, if it helps."

"This labyrinth - this is where he fought Agni, too?"

"Yes! Exactly! Though it's different now. Something's changed it. Or, maybe, he met Agni within his own world within the maze. There are a lot of things that aren't clear. But, the doorways, the memories, and, most importantly, the hearts of everyone are connected inside the Labyrinth."

Azula frowned. "So he could do it again, couldn't he? If he were here, he could stop the Unification."

"Even if he could, I don't know." Lee sounded conflicted. He hazarded his answer slowly. "This is your fight, Azula. He can only help you from behind the scenes. The Avatar spirit is acting as a tether, and he's acting as a barrier."

Azula closed her eyes, trying to visualize it. "I can't believe that you want me to believe that the world and the Spirit World are just two big globes connected by a little bit of string."

"Well, it isn't like that at all, but it's easier to understand than how it really is."

"And you know this how?"

"I told you, I'm well-informed about this sort of subject matter."

"I bet you are." Suspicion flared in her eyes, but try as she might, she couldn't remove the mask. "So, I have to stop the Unification this time? That's all there is to it? No appeals, no one asking me if I want to do anything about it?"

"No, but the choice has always been yours."

"What sort of choice is that? To stop it and be free or be trapped here forever? That's not a choice, that's just blackmail!"

Lee shook his head. "It's always been up to you, Azula. That's why you're the only one who can do anything. The maze, everything that's happened has happened because of what you chose. Something responded."

She didn't really hear what he said after that, but she knew exactly what it meant. Something had found her where she'd gone to, and brought her back. Her bitterness, her anger, her fear and her hopes called it to her, and from it, a maze took shape inside this space between time and memory.

And when she returned to her body, it followed. And in that instance, there was a breach.

It had found a way to feed, and it was growing stronger.

"... at least, that's what I think," Lee finished. "I think you came to the same conclusion."

'Yes. Yes, I did. Our strangers are its food, and it's been what's called them out. Whatever it doesn't need gets thrown out. They called them Scions, but they're really just little fragments of whatever is lurking there in the dark."

Lee shook his head. "That's bad. It's getting stronger."

"So. Is this thing a piece of Agni?"

"Worse."

"Worse than a piece of Agni?" Azula frowned. "If I remember correctly, Agni was the immolated remains of a giant dragon that nearly razed the world to the ground."

"It was," Lee answered, "But it wasn't what caused the Unification, it was just the means to do it."

"So whatever this thing really is, it's the cause of the Unification. And if it gets through the maze, it'll come out on the other side. In other words, if we don't stop it soon, it'll reach the Spirit World."

"And Agni."

"Unfortunate. That's what you mean by it's starting again. But this time we can put an end to it for good."

Lee shook his head. "No one can stop that forever. It required a lot of sacrifice to buy a future for everyone, but it's tenuous right now at best." He clasped his hands together nervously. "Azula, you know what you need to do now. The next time we talk will be our last. I'm glad that I got to see you again."

"Our last? What happens next?"

"I don't know," Lee said. "But the next time we speak, it'll be in a very different circumstance than the rest. The only advice I can give you is that the path forward is taken by going backwards. The end is only a beginning that's not yet been explored."

"Riddles?"

"I thought I'd try and be mysterious!"

"Last time you did that we got attacked by a fake Yue."

Lee laughed nervously. "Well, what can I say? It's tradition, though. Vague mysterious advice like this is our stock and trade!"

Azula paused. "I'm going to wake up soon, am I?"

"Yes. Any minute now."

"I see." She paused. "There was one thing I needed to talk to you about, I just remembered. It won't take long." The words themselves seemed innocent enough, but Lee seemed hesitant by the way she said it. She spoke as if those words were the prelude to a vicious interrogation.

"Okay."

"My Stranger said something very unusual, and I wonder if you know anything about it."

"What's that?"

"She told me that the past is not immutable. You wouldn't happen to know what she was talking about, would you?"

* * *

Sokka threw his hands up in frustration. Toph slammed her foot down, satisfied by the sound of the door creaking on what remained of its hinges. "Nothing. We've been through every door on this side of the building and we've got nothing! I'm starting to think we need someone who can teleport us places because I'm stuck."

"Oh relax. That was fun. Besides, Matchstick's still got to finish his hallway."

Toph had been merciless to school property. She attacked it with the fury every student could muster after spending the best part of the year attending soul-sucking classes and listening to assemblies that went nowhere.

Every door she met now had her footprint blazed into their wooden memories. But every last room had been a dead end. Sokka had expected a door, and had moaned every time the door swung open to reveal a room that had seen the fury of someone who attended school for the better part of an eternity.

"What do you expect. We beat Evil Azula and the door just magically appears?"

Sokka cocked an eyebrow. "Evil Azula?"

"What?"

"How do you tell the two apart?"

"Evil_er_ Azula, whatever. We just got to keep looking. I'm sure Sparky's coming down the hall right now to tell us the good news."

"I'm sure he's going to tell us that we're doomed."

He slammed his back against the footlockers. The school looked forlorn and abandoned, like it had been the site of many a great panicking people. Every room was full of overturned desks and the remains of a nuclear holocaust that had scourged the city.

Or a great big dragon. They were about the same thing for all intents and purposes, only, you couldn't exactly argue with the power of the atom. You couldn't bargain with a dragon, but most of the time it spoke back.

Sokka looked uncertain, but he was sure there was something just under his nose that wasn't quite right. Something that wasn't where it should be, maybe, or maybe it was just something he'd never paid any attention to before.

"Hey Toph, do you - never mind." He sighed. She would probably make some bad joke about how she totally sees what he meant then wave her hand in front of her eyes to educate him on how stupid he was.

He was really feeling stupid right now, and he didn't need Toph to make him feel like it. "- it's just there's something off here, and I don't know what."

She shrugged. "I hear ya."

"You got that feeling too?"

"For a while. But it's probably just because this whole place is a mess." The lights flickered on and off, and Zuko returned from the other side of the hall. He wore a grim expression, and he didn't even need to say anything for Sokka to know exactly why.

"Well, that's a bust."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed. "I can't think of anything else except the activity building, and I don't even know if it's still standing."

"I'm not about to run out there to check," Sokka said. "Anyway, I think we're close. Something tells me that the way's right in front of our noses." Toph nodded in general agreement, and Zuko glanced around.

"I don't know."

"Maybe Yue can muster some amazing moon powers and go woo-OOOO-oooo," he wiggeld his fingers and then pointed straight ahead, "Find us the exit lickety-split!"

The others stared in silence, stunned into a stupor, until Toph finally found her voice. It was busy lauighing. "I can't believe you did that!" she said between guffaws, "You sounded like such a tool!"

"Hey!"

Zuko hid his grin as best he could. "It certainly was one way to go about looking. But seriously," he said, coughing. Sokka glowered. The cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "Seriously," he continued, voice squeaking, "I don't think Yue's got enough power to do much. We shouldn't expect miracles."

Sokka sighed. "Anyway, there's still one more floor to check out -"

"What do you mean, one more floor?"

He looked at Zuko. "Don't you see the stairs there, man? Must be a basement or something."

"This place has a basement?"

"No."

Zuko frowned. "I don't know where those stairs lead, but it's not to a basement. This place doesn't have one."

Sokka paused. "In the real world, but Azula made this place up, didn't she?"

"She wouldn't have included a basement either," Zuko said, "She knows exactly how many floors this building has. She knows every last detail of the place."

"Then why is there a basement she knows doesn't exist?" Sokka asked, then held out his hands, "No, no, wait, don't tell me. It's to symbolize that she's descending into self-loathing?"

"I don't think so. Maybe we should check this out?"

Zuko approached the downward stairs slowly. It was dark. Even shining a light into the darkness didn't chase away the darkness. If anything, it made it more acute. This was no ordinary basement, that was for certain. For one thing, the stairs seemed to disappear halfway down.

But, they didn't. They weren't visible, but the flame's light caught on the steps, outlining them in a shimmering red. Something in the dark sparkled.

"I think that's our exit."

* * *

Was the past immutable; the question echoed in the small lavender colored room. Lee remained still for a long time, not speaking. but it wasn't that long at all. She could feel her consciousness beginning to stir, but she forced it back. She needed to hear this.

"Your stranger told you this?" he asked, as if he didn't quite believe her.

"Exactly as I said. I'm not certain how she discovered this, or if she discovered it at all. I could have been the one that discovered that it was possible but no matter what I do I don't know anymore than that."

He was quiet for much longer this time. "It's just like you said. The past can be changed."

"What past, then?"

Lee seemed to be taken aback by the question. "I don't know what you mean."

"You're lying."

Lee shook his head slowly. "I don't know, Azula. I'm sure no matter what I tell you, you'll do what you think is best. You shouldn't try and change the past, you don't know what repercussion it could have."

"What good is the power to change the past if I don't at least try?"

"It's not as simple as that," he said, but he was wrong. Azula knew he was wrong. It was that simple. "The past and memory are just two parts of the same thing. Here, though, the past and memory get muddled together a lot more. And there is, well, a place that isn't quite either."

"Isn't quite either? Nonsense."

"It's complicated."

"I doubt it. You just like acting like it is."

"It's complicated to me, okay. I don't understand how everything works, I just know that somewhere is a place where the memory _is_ the past. But I'm telling you, Azula, that I don't think you should even consider it. The price is too high."

Azula did some internal math. She was almost certain what that meant. She crossed her arms and allowed consciousness to resume. "You've been very helpful, Lee. I'll consider what you said."

"Azula, please! It's not worth it!"

"That isn't for us to decide, now is it?" she asked and then, just like that, she was gone. The room faded from her memory like a waking dream, leaving her with only the impression in her mind. Not a memory, but a feeling.

And she looked up at Yue and Katara, who were around her with some food.

"We thought you could do with a snack, and we still have some from when we found that door to Cabbageway's," Katara explained. It was nothing but empty sugar, but her stomach gurgled eagerly at the prospect.

"Thank you."

"The others are looking for the way out of here, Azula. They'll be back soon."

"Good."

"Um, say," Katara looked anxious. "I know I've been hard on you a lot since we met. I mean, this place may be playing tricks with my memory, but I know we got off on the wrong foot."

Azula looked up at her. The Water Tribe girl looked like she was quickly reassembling what she planned to say. Suddenly, saying what she had meant to say earlier was no longer good enough, or the ravenous destruction of the sweets in Azula's maw had made her change tact.

Either way, she finally, and lamely, concluded, "We're friends, you know that, though. I mean, obviously you know that because you pretty much know everything about us even though you don't let on how you know-"

"Could you get to the point."

"I think that was my point. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you were a monster."

Azula frowned. "This is about what I said earlier, isn't it?" The accusation lingered in the air and left Katara scrambling for cover. She stuttered out her protests as Azula swallowed the last of the candy and said, "I know what I said sounded extreme, but I'm not the sort to let that stop me, you know."

"Yes, but - you gave me a scare, okay?"

"I'm sorry, then." She sat upright, and straightened herself out. "I have been at odds with myself for a long time, Katara. It's not something that happened overnight." It was Aang, she thought. The common link is Aang.

He'd changed us for the better and now that he's gone, we've gotten onto shaky ground. Just like the worlds.

"But someone trusted me once, and I intend to live up to that."

Katara again stopped herself and rethought her words, before saying, "I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure he'd be glad too."

And he would be, Azula thought, in his own ridiculous way, he'd think it was just the way it ought to be. Everything would work out, he'd say, and that would be that and no one would ever bring it up again.

Ridiculous, but that was just how it was.

The roof door opened and the others stepped in. When they saw Azula, they stood up straight - Toph reacted even quicker, processing information long before the door was even opened. Sokka was the first to speak, though, "We found it."

* * *

Stairways usually led somewhere, Azula confided with herself that here she wasn't quite sure about that, but some of the time, they led somewhere. Where this one went, she didn't know. She could barely see the first few steps, even stepping down ahead with a flame held aloft for light.

A few steps further and it was utter blackness.

"You're certain of this?" Azula asked.

"I think you'd know this place only has three floors," Zuko countered and Azula nodded slowly in agreement. She hadn't made a staircase here subconsciously, but something else did. The maze, strange as it was, seemed to be alive. And it seemed to want to help them.

"Be nice if this place had a little light," Sokka said, "But so far so good, right? No sudden drops, stops, or traps."

A sudden trap would have been welcome reprieve from Sokka's nervous pattering. She was getting nervous herself, and it was just humiliating. It was embarrassing enough the way she had to lean on people for support. It wasn't a proper meal. And she was hungrier than she'd ever remembered being in her life.

With each step, the shadows seemed to move like a cloud of dust. There was a shine beneath, like something cold and midnight blue. It emerged from the shadows like a lion-turtle coming to the surface. It felt cold even through the soles of her shoes, like a perfect, jagged winter.

She just wished Sokka would stop making her question just how safe this was.

"Yes sir, some light would be great," he said as he stepped forward and the clouds moved aside.

It wasn't quite accurate to say there was a sky overhead. It was more of a reflection of a sky, or even a reflection of a memory that just happened to contain a blue sky and the brilliant light of a noonday sun.

In the light, the shimmering grew more intense, like sharp fragments of glass that had been thrown about everywhere. And at the heart of it all was the stairway, which itself was made of the same material. It wasn't glass, though.

"Yeah," Zuko said, "We're on the right path."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, right," Katara said, "You weren't with us when it happened. We had to follow you through a passageway that looked just like this. We think these are memories."

Azula bit back a stupid response like "Memories?" or "What do you mean?" It was obvious what they meant. These were fragments of the memories that the maze ran through. Each shattered fragment was being used to make a new passage.

Azula froze in step, causing the others to stop.

"We're at fault."

"What?"

"We've been doing it the whole time. This is our fault."

"I don't see how." Sokka shrugged. "It's probably that fake Aang -"

"Sokka!"

"- wait, did I say fake Aang, I meant -"

"Stop it, Sokka!" Katara said. She pulled him aside and whispered loud enough to be heard, "We weren't going to just blurt it out like that." She glanced at Azula, who stared at her perplexed, and she thought she saw the hope drain from her face.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"That Aang we've been following's a phony," Toph said. "What? No point in sugar-coating it."

Azula was silent for a long time. Everyone seemed anxious when she slowly spoke up again. "I see." And then nothing. She didn't even seem to be thinking, just staring straight ahead. The group avoided her gaze.

The staircase wasn't really even, and it slid about endlessly into an abyss as deep and black as the bottom of a cave. It didn't just writhe, it screamed. Countless memories streamed out of it, shining and blue, wrapping around them like a tunnel.

Broken but not gone, the memories flooded into every space they could.

They flooded into Azula as well. This was all their fault, this is what she started. She hadn't meant to, but perhaps she'd wanted to back then. She refused to be forgotten, but was the price really worth it?

She closed her eyes. "I have to ask everyone something."

"Can't it wait?" Sokka asked, "I think we're finally getting somewhere."

"No, I don't think it should."

She looked forward resolutely, staring at the memories as they floated on past. Spring days where the birds were high in the air, the trees budding fresh and the excitement of the first day of playing outdoors after a frigid winter in the Earth Kingdom came rushing back to her in a second-hand way.

"If we could change the past, would you?"

She was confident that hit with the proper amount of force to make them think on that. She wouldn't elaborate what she meant, not yet, she'd wait until the full weight of the prospect sunk in to them. And then, if she was right, she wouldn't have to decide anything.

No guilt, no fear, just proper _democratic_ action.

How wonderful.

"But, we can't change the past. I mean, it looked like we were traveling to the past, but I think that it's just a collective memory. Kind of like how everyone thinks that feudal Fire Nation was full of samurai firebenders who went around having epic fire-blade fights."

"I don't think that," Azula said, sourly. It was nothing like that at all. Firebender Samurai would have been just too much.

"Well movies think so. And now when you ask anyone about it, you're going to hear about samurai firebenders dispensing justice on the edge of a fiery sword."

"This is ridiculous."

"But the point is, this is a collective memory, not a real thing."

"I know that!" she snapped. She'd underestimated Sokka. His ability to overanalyze stuff was only beat down by the will to annoy her. Tempered, in fact, into a blade. He'd ruined her effect and now she had to recover and she did not sound happy. "My point is, if you could find a way to change the past, would you?"

"I guess that depends." He thought about it. "There are some things I'd changed."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what."

"Well, for one thing - you know."

"I know?"

"That thing - the whole Agni incident."

Azula nodded. First and foremost on even his mind. It was good that she could trust even him to think of that. It made her feel confident. "Precisely. If we could change that, so that Aang didn't sacrifice himself for everyone else, would you?"

"That's impossible."

"Is it?"

"Yes, I just said it was."

"Would the both of you stop it." Zuko grunted in irritation. "We're getting nowhere."

"How do you mean?" Azula glanced around. Everything was moving, and it was hard to tell exactly where they were in the abyss, even with the light of a crisp winter morning funneling across half of the tunnel and a fiery autumn sunset to their left.

"Yue, how far away from the bottom are we again?" Zuko asked. The moon goddess looked a bit flustered at the attention.

"Well, like I said, we're about ten feet."

"That's almost out of here!" Sokka said, encouragingly.

"And how long have we been ten feet from the bottom?" Zuko continued. Azula arched her eyebrow at the question, and looked over at Yue. She seemed even more embarrassed than before.

"I know it sounds strange, but, about three minutes."

"We've been walking in place for three minutes?" Toph asked. "While Power Princess and Snoozles were mumbling about something or another?"

The maze was like something Escher would have come up with after a particularly bad night out on the town. It weaved, it bobbed, it seemed to be built more out of perception than reality. Distances couldn't be trusted. A passage a mile long could appear to be only a matter of feet while a small nook could go on for hours.

And sometimes up and down tended to get flipped around. Sometimes up went down.

"Let's turn around."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Sokka complained.

"When did this maze ever make any sense?" Toph retorted even before Azula. She'd have to thank Toph later for saying what was clearly on everyone's minds. "So, let's go up, or down, or whatever."

They turned around, Sokka's complaint the only conversation as they stepped up and into an uncomfortable blue glow. Memories of thunderstorms came to mind. A flash of light and all they could see was his shadow under his eyes.

Aang.

* * *

It was like watching a predator emerge from the underbrush, its teeth bared, its every movement evolved to the point that it appears as leisurely as an afternoon stroll. Its dark purpose clear. Its need self-evident.

Stairs -

They couldn't fight like this. They lacked the balance, and this thing wasn't even bothering with the space between. It simply stood and waited for its prey to come. The area was too cramped. If she made a wrong step, she'd fall down the unending flight of stairs.

It would just - keep happening.

How dreadful. She considered herself warned. But she refused to simply run away. She could hear the roar of thunder - the memory of it, anyway, which was made up of more terror than the low shudder of the gathering clouds.

She could almost remember it.

"We have to run!" she heard Katara said, "Come on, Azula!"

She wasn't afraid, she'd been the predator once herself. She knew it could be beaten. Everything had a weakness, and it was only a matter of finding it. She was face to face with the cause of the Unification and it had taken his face.

It made her furious.

And it smiled at her. It was a dreadful thing to watch its mouth open behind the mass of shadows that obscured its features. It wasn't normal, and it more closely resembled a child's drawing of a smile. Not a curling of the lips, the face didn't change at all except for the large crescent that spread across it.

Sokka took a haltering step back. "It's smiling. Guys, why is it smiling?"

He took a quick glance at his feet and jumped down a step. "Coward," Azula sniffed. And she drew herself into a stance. "We won't get anywhere if we run away. We have to stop it here." But she wasn't sure how. She could presumably attack from some side, some angle it couldn't predict, but how would she know what angle to use?

But in that moment, she was the hero. It was her, she would have to do something about it.

The crack of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the ghastly shadowed effigy. Around hiim, the abyss churned. The memories shuddered at its presence, like cattle waiting for the butcher. And even in that brief flash, it was certain that this person - this thing, was not Aang. Aang would never have worn such a face, and he would never take a single step that seemed to be a challenge.

She let the memory of lightning fill her up.

She knew her angle. She had the time to strike. "Imposter!"

She shouted it with more anger than she intended, but she knew that she had to cool that anger into something she could use. Control it and harness it, instead of letting it control her - that was the key.

It was a crackle of light in the dark, a spark of hope for those lost in the shadows.

The memories seemed to dissolve into the walls. The entire stairwell was thick with shadows that seemed to envelop them like deep sea. And she could see the memories churning to the surface of the darkness.

And she could see the light that ran across her fingers. She could feel the hum of power coursing through her like a thousand watts. Probably, she thought, much more than that. It just didn't sound as good, though.

She'd let it slide.

The shadow of Aang looked uncomprehendingly at the lightning, as if it knew of it in passing, but hadn't got the whole story. She grinned. It was in for a nasty surprise. She had a clear shot, she could tear it into two with a single strike of lightning.

The memory of lightning, though, is cold.

The face, though distorted and deformed, contorted into a grisly mockery - still recalled someone else to her memory, and the memory of lightning struck like a bolt through her. Everyone had gone silent as the lightning streaked from across her fingertips into the wall.

It disappeared into the darkness.

And the predator looked up with terrified eyes. It touched where the lightning had grazed its shoulder, and felt the burn that seemed to course through his every being. Azula just stared wide-eyed.

She remembered.

How unfortunate.

* * *

It was a pleasant morning in the hills of southern Earth Kingdom, just east of the shore. There was a sun in the sky, and there were the livestock being herded up. And it was coming at them like a spinning blade of death.

What happened over the next few minutes were hard to describe. The memories bubbled up from the darkness, agitated and struggling like a cornered animal. They lunged at everything and everyone and at the center, the shadowy imposter seemed spellbound by it all.

_In the minds it reflected, the concept of pain was well-known. It was a constant that they yearned to end. To experience it first-hand was different. The creature moaned. It moaned deep inside._

_It yearned to be free._

Azula felt limp when Zuko tried to hurry her down. The stairs began to shudder violently around them like the sea during a tempest. And she wouldn't respond. He grabbed her and pulled her down as the memory of a pleasant morning in the farms of the south crashed into the ground, shattering forever into millions of shards.

_But she'd done it before, and she remembered it clearly. How could someone ever truly forget that sort of thing. She wished she knew what she did next, even though she was frightened that she already knew._

_She yearned to forget, but she chose to remember._

And the ground shuddered as a low bellow emerged from the imposter's mouth, a scream of pain and anguish that resonated with the mirrored surfaces. The abyss of shadows rose at its call and pulled the struggling memories down.

"I think you ticked it off, Azula."

Azula didn't respond and Sokka rubbed his temples furiously. "We got to get going. We're going to be thrown about and I don't want to be shish-kebobbed on someone's wedding memories."

"Would really put a damper on the occasion," Toph retorted.

Yue looked around at the angry room and then, she bit her lip and puffed up her chest. "There's one chance. Trust me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Yue jumped into the abyss.

"Okay, that's asking for a lot of trust."

"Shut up, Sokka, and let's go!" Katara shouted, diving in after. Sokka watched Azula, still carried by Zuko, descend and then Toph gave him a shrug and followed. He took a deep breath and looked at the abyss uncertainly. Then, he looked at the shadowy impostor and the shards of memories around him.

He had absolute certainty about what would happen if he stayed.

So he leapt in after.

* * *

The shadows were thick as thieves as they dropped through it. It wasn't really a plummet, more of a gentle descent, though. The shadows moved like mist, but it felt stronger, realer. It tickled against them as they went past.

There were shapes in the dark, They seemed to be watching them, their featureless figures turning to follow as they fell past. Only Yue seemed encouraged by the situation. "At the very least, we are no longer in danger."

Azula paused. She knew all the tricks. Dramatic irony, metaphor, pathos, puns, parodies, litoses and satire. She chose the most deadly of all: sarcasm. "Oh, good, I'll just stop worrying about us falling down a bottomless pit."

"Azula, really?" Katara asked.

"Really doesn't feel that bad," Sokka said, "I mean, I've never fell to my death, but I kind of assumed that I'd be gripped with mortal terror the entire way down. Well, the way my day's been going, maybe I'm just relieved."

Toph grumbled. "You know what I hate? That guy. He's a jerk. What's his deal anyway?"

"We're nearly to the ground." Yue looked a bit flustered, "And, uh, I don't think we'll end up flattened when we do reach it. We are falling very, very slowly."

"I'm totally okay with it either way at this point," Sokka said. Apparently falling into the nothing of the maze with only the sensation of the tendrils of shadows brushing against him did wonders for his stress levels.

"You're handling this well," Azula said, tentatively.

"I think I've just moved past everything."

"Or you're in a moment of denial."

"That's totally possible."

The ground was as pitch and terrible as the shadows that engulfed it. There was nothing save for the light of a brilliant white door. They landed, softly, around it in a neat circle. The shapes in the darkness kept their distance. The light seemed to push them back.

The door seemed welcoming, even friendly amongst the cold black field.

Toph immediately latched to the ground and refused to let go. Azula glanced at the others. Their gaze momentarily shifted back to her as she did, but then back at the door. "Is that it?" Azula asked, and Yue hesitated.

"I don't know. It must be close."

"The center of the maze could be right behind that door," Azula continued. "We need to be ready for anything."

Azula approached it carefully. "Are we ready?" she asked. The others responded in a brief series of mutters. She took that as a go-ahead. The approach was one of someone not quite certain what lies beyond, but with the utmost certainty of someone who doesn't want to spend the next hour waiting for another option to present itself.

Doors are meant to be open. Mazes are meant to be lost in.

The problem with the Labyrinth of Lethe was that navigating it was a task best left up to the omniscient with perfect vision. A precognitive sense of where doors lead alone would be of great help, but being able to predict the maze's twists and turns only goes so far when the maze reacts to that knowledge.

The Labyrinth breathes. It expands outwards around a singular point, like the rise and fall of empires. When the handle of a door is turned, it feels it and it reacts. The door swung open quietly and it dragged her through so fast she didn't even feel her shoes scrape against the floor.

The light that emitted from within the open doorframe seemed to reach out and grab them. Slowly, ever so slowly, a slothlike supernova expanded outwards and then disappeared as the door slammed shut.

Azula's stomach seemed to catch up with her on the other side.

Inside it was bright. Her eyes took a moment to adjust. A light flickered and then resumed its sterile phosphorous glow. There was a click. She turned around as the basement door opened up and she was nearly buried in the landslide of bodies that fell out.

"What the - what just happened?" Toph asked. "I've had it up here with disappearing acts and falling. If this happens one more time I quit."

"You can't quit, Toph," Katara said, her elbow hitting her brother in the square of the back as she tried to untangle herself from Yue. "Could you give me a hand, Azula?" Azula just stared beyond them. "Hello?"

"I think we broke her," Sokka quipped. "Ow! Watch it, Katara!"

"Sorry!" Katara managed to free herself and started to help the others to their feet. "Hello, Azula? A little help?"

Azula blinked, started, and turned over to Katara. "Oh. Right, yes. Of course."

As they pulled everyone to their feet, it was Zuko who decided to ask the obvious question. "Where are we now?" It didn't look like the maze, but it was certainly familiar. They had fallen out of the basement door, Azula thought.

That led into a basement, with a couple of washers and dryers.

"We're home."

* * *

The dormitory remained locked in time. The clocks were frozen in place, and nothing seemed to work. The door was the first thing they tried, and try as they might against a broken lock, it refused to budge.

Not that it had stopped Toph from trying, but even her feet were getting tired of pounding at it. She flopped down on the couch next to Sokka and groaned. "This is stupid." The others seemed to share a moment of agreement through murmurs and sighs.

"What do we do now?"

Katara looked at everyone. Only Azula had gone missing, it seemed. She had taken off like a bolt shortly after the door refused to budge. She glanced at the stairs, wondering if the other girl would come down. "I mean, do we have any ideas at all?"

"I'm stumped. I mean, this is it, isn't it? I thought that door was supposed to take us right to the middle of the maze." Sokka scratched his nose. He couldn't think of anything else. They'd beaten every enemy that the maze threw at them except for the shadow kid.

Which was another mystery that he didn't feel his brain could solve right now. He was still exhausted.

"Maybe we should have a nap. I'll think of something in the morning."

Zuko sighed. "I can't believe I'm agreeing with him, but he's right. We need our strength."

"For what?" Toph asked. "We're going to go after that shadow jerk?"

"I can't think of anything else."

Sokka groaned. "No, no more. I'm done. I'm not thinking up some new strategies on how to hunt him down, I'm just going to take a nap and let everything work itself out." The others stared at him, and he shrunk back. "I mean, since I know you're going to ask if I have any ideas and - okay, I'll do it. Fine."

"You are a pushover," Zuko grunted.

"Yes, yes I am," Sokka admitted in defeat. He slumped in his seat. "I think I'll try and get a nap first."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Everyone should try and get some rest," Katara agreed. "I'll go tell Azula."

In truth, Katara was worried about Azula. She was acting as if everything was normal, but for some reason, things just didn't seem to be. She'd come to notice everytime she spoke and put down someone for two years, a bitter repository of memories that had accumulated over the years.

And yet, it was that same bitterness that left her uneasy about this new Azula. She was slower to react, and she second-guessed herself. As much as she didn't like her attitude, the girl was sharp.

But she wasn't acting it.

The door was closed, and she approached it without an ounce of apprehension. The worst Azula could do didn't frighten her anymore. She knocked, and after a moment, a voice answered.

"It's unlocked," she said, "But I'm a little busy. Could we make this quick, Katara?"

Katara paused. Deciding against asking how she knew, she just opened the door to find Azula on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "We've decided we may as well take a rest for the time being. Sokka and Zuko think we should chase the, you know -"

"Fake Aang, right?" Azula closed her eyes. "Yes, I'm at a loss myself."

Katara crossed her arms. "You? At a loss? Who are you and what have you done with Azula?"

Azula chuckled. "Oh, Katara, you've never missed an opportunity to take a shot at me. I've got to admit, I'm surprised you've not challenged my leadership more often than you did." Katara frowned. "I've made a stupid mistake and I don't know how to rectify the matter."

"You've made a lot of mistakes, but at least you're admitting it now."

Azula frowned. "Would you believe me that my coming back was a mistake? It shouldn't have happened."

Katara paused.

"If I hadn't come back from the almost-dead, none of this would have ever happened, you see. And now everything is wrong and I am trying to think of how to stop it all from spiraling out of control." She grinned wryly. "In fact, I think it would have been rather easier if I'd just given up."

"You're joking, right?"

"No. I know this, someone I trust told me so."

"Did they tell you it would have been better if you'd never - you're impossible, you do know that, right?" Azula laughed.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not about to profess how I loathe my existence, Katara. I'm just pointing out that this has turned out to be a very bitter work indeed."

"Well you'll get through it, with us. I don't know why you think you coming back was a mistake, but you're here now." Katara sighed. "That's what being alive is all about. It's not easy, but it's still something we've got to see through. What's the point if you don't give it everything."

Azula considered this, or appeared to. She sat up and got off her bed. "I think I see what you're saying, Katara. Tell Sokka not to stay up all night - or whatever - thinking up a plan."

"Okay."

"I've been trying to figure out how we're supposed to proceed. Those doors don't act like normal passageways. They seem to take us where we need to go. That means somewhere here is some detail we've overlooked, or something we're meant to discover - some gate or key - and that will take us right where we need to go.

"We've all but left the labyrinth now. We just need to make sure it stays closed."

"We'll follow your lead, then."

"Good."

* * *

When she'd gone, Azula grabbed a notebook and opened it to the first blank page and began to write. Her mind had been kicked into overdrive all of a sudden, and she had the urge to get down her thoughts on paper. She'd organize them, make them march in neat little lines. She had a tidy mind, which was where her madness seemed to stem.

She liked to be in control, and in her head, the thoughts were not staying in perfect rank and file. She tapped the pen in the border once or twice before beginning like a letter. "My name is Azula Houou."

It was the start of this.

And like Katara had said, it wasn't something that came easy. Dying, now that was easy. Losing her identity in the ebb and flow of that unending shadow would have been the simplest solution to everything. If she knew then what she knew now -

But she chose to live. And now she'd have to deal with the consequences.

Her name was Azula Houou, and now she would define what that meant.

She took great care in describing the journey through the labyrinth as it appeared in her memory. She endeavored to keep every detail of the journey intact. It was difficult. Her memory was better, but it was still criminally incomplete. It was like looking through a library and finding spaces where books should be.

"_I recall a place where there was nothing. No light to see, but still, there were shapes. They were clear as the light of day. They were my own hands and the figure of a girl. I don't know if this was a dream. I think it might have been. I am starting to doubt that dreams evaporate like mist when we wake up, anyhow._

_"I saw a girl and she had me sign a contract and I signed it _Azula Houou _and I knew that was my name. I chose to remember. And of all the things I've remembered since, it remains the anchor of certainty in the storm._

_"I am Azula Houou. No matter how much I know is wrong, that will never betray me."_

Uncertainty clouded her thoughts for a moment and she put the pen down to think. Writing was usually a simple matter of transcribing facts and expounding on them in such a way to develop a new idea.

Here, she was writing her memoirs. She hadn't thought of ever doing something like this, though she'd entertained the thought once in a moment of deluded grandeur. If her life were a book, not only would people want to read it, they would throw it into the fiction section and throw away the key.

"_I have fought monsters before."_

It was a lame line, but she tapped her pen along the period and turned it into a comma. "_I have fought monsters before, but never any quite like the creatures in this maze. There are monsters here that are spirits before they become spirits, mere shadows of themselves in fact. I know what evil lurks in the hearts of men because I have seen it. Not clearly, but I know its been watching us._

_"I wonder if a book feels that way when it's being read. I wonder what it feels like to be written._"

She sighed. It was hard to put into words the exact feelings she had about this place. Terror, certainly, though it was tempered by resolve and common sense. But there was always this groping, terrible feeling in the back of her head like someone was plucking the best of her mind like they were some kind of fruit.

But that's how it fed. It grew on those memories. The maze was like a repository of bad thoughts, and someone had decided to make it useful.

It fed and grew and it got more and more cunning. At the start, who would have imagined that it was little more than a bad thought. A _thought_ that had been here all along. But then something changed it. The thought had gained - well, calling it sentience would be an insult to all sentient life, but something close to it that in the shadows it could be mistaken for it. A mind that wasn't a mind, but a series of impulses that reacted to stimuli in such a way that it made it seem like it was animal.

Like a plant, whose feelers tingle when the lion-honeybee land on it searching for the sweet smell of pollen only to find a trap like a mouth squeeze shut.

And then they'd come, drawn by the smell of nectar on the breeze, and it drew out exactly what it needed to make it grow. The maze grew too, though. Symbiotic relationships had been formed. Azula struggled to figure out why a maze, though.

That seemed almost self-defeating. If Lee was right, this shadow over them was trying to start the Unification by awakening Agni.

It had to merely travel from one point to the next.

A maze is something people build for amusement, of course, but earlier still, they were used not simply to keep people out but to keep things in.

She groaned in defeat. There was still something she was missing. Something that was clear enough to be seen but too far away to be identified.

She started to write about the garden.

* * *

Yue was not one to sleep. She simply lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling and fretted. The others were tired, but she was simply exhausted. Seeing inside the maze was like staring into a murky pond. The shapes underneath are menacing, even if it's just some manner of toad darting about.

It was hard for her to explain to someone without the senses she possessed. There was a taste to it that just couldn't be put into words a tongue could comprehend, a smell that was as alien as color to the ear. The Spirit World was simple enough to explain. It was a series of _ideas_, of _emotions and thoughts_. It was like seeing inside the collective human mind. Everything was distinct. Every tree was born of some ancient memory, and every creature was part of the way the world _was_.

The human world, though, was a little more complicated. People built things for a purpose. A road was paved to allow cars to drive on them, lights were there to allow them to see. The practical nature was different than the Spirit World, enough that it could be disorienting. Everything came down to shapes and sounds, less direct than in the Spirit World. The earth answered, as did the wind and the water. Even the fire spoke to her.

But this world - there was no rhyme or reason. Everything seemed to be turned upon itself, and everything was seen through a lens.

She worried about what she couldn't see. She was so used to being the all-seeing Moon, and now she was in a place where moonlight was little more than a collective memory, more silver light than spirit.

The tides didn't listen to her, here. Here, the tides ever unchanged, frozen in that one perfect moment where the sea meets the land.

* * *

Azula struggled through the Secret Sands in her mind, replaying the memories as best she could, even as she was swept up by sand and water alike. Right now, she was certain the answer was there, in her memory.

* * *

Katara slept.

She was so tired she'd fell asleep before she hit the pillow. She dreamed about many things, troubling things that made her turn in her sleep. It had been a long journey and she couldn't help but feel it wasn't over.

In her sleepy state she wondered about what Azula had said.

Despite all they'd done, they hadn't left the maze. There was still something, maybe not quite undone, but all the same tethering them to this place. In her dreams she knew what it was. Her brain had just assumed she would, it seemed.

If she had any awareness of that, she'd have struggled for an answer, but in her dreams, she could see it as clear as day.

When she woke up, her thoughts would change.

But that moment, she knew she had to protect Azula, if not from the shadow in the maze, then from herself.

If Azula approached this new, selfless point of view the same way she approached her old, selfish way, then she'd be afraid for anyone in that path.

* * *

It wasn't in the Depths of Defeat, either, except that somehow she _knew_ it was. She was overlooking something important. Something that would make the path clear. She just couldn't make herself see it.

* * *

Toph never doubted, least of all herself.

The path ahead was clear. There was just the tiny hitch of finding the door that led to it. The center of the maze held some kind of monster, and they had to defeat it. But she'd heard what Azula had said earlier, and she was curious.

What did she mean by all that metaphysical nonsense. She almost sounded like she knew some way to change the past.

There was only one thing she'd change.

It was just hard to ignore, no matter how you tried to fill that emptiness, she'd say. It was just a hole that you had to carry.

But if you could change the past, why wouldn't you?

If you could make the world better by one little action, why not?

* * *

The Anguished Adventure was surreal enough living through it, transcribing it tested her abilities to the limit. There were only so many ways to describe the atonal music, the fact that she felt like she'd been covered in eight-bit graphics.

But something was beginning to emerge clearly.

A pattern.

And a door.

* * *

And Sokka had spent most of the night thinking. A shadowy impostor that looked like the friend they lost, in a place that was almost, but not quite, reminiscent of the Tower of Memory. It all reeked of something, and he was going to find out what.

He didn't much think about Azula's ramblings. She was still incoherent after that thing with her Stranger. The spirits or whatever in this maze were a different beast from the ones in the Spirit World. Those were corrupted by human feelings, while these ones started out corrupt and just got worse.

And the impostor seemed to just be the source of all the negativity. It was like it was drawn to it like a moth to the flame. And as time moved on, that just got more and more pronounced. It was mocking them, but he had an idea.

Pillow soft, eyelids heavy, Sokka seemed quite pleased with his idea.

Set a trap, and he knew just what to use for bait.

* * *

The Stars of Solitude replayed quite clearly for her. It was after that when things started to get fuzzy. But she was certain now. She just needed to know what it all meant.

* * *

Zuko hadn't put up much of a fight against sleep.

Through-out his life, his Uncle's so-called failure had haunted him. He'd respected the man, and it pained him to watch his name be dragged through the mud for his father's own self-serving ambition. But even harder were the times he doubted him.

And then Agni had come.

And that was when he knew he'd been wrong to ever doubt him.

A bitter work indeed, but he'd found some measure of redemption. He fought against regressing into that brooding loner, even though he'd lost himself once or twice, his friends hadn't.

And now he had to trust Azula's path.

Sleep seemed easier, so he chose that. Whatever Azula was planning, he couldn't even begin to figure it out. It was easier to approach things in a straight line, set a goal and accomplish it. She tended to think of goal-setting as a triathlon. Not only did the goal have to be met, but several others would be set mid-stride and she always seemed to come out on top.

Except for that one time.

Even she'd been troubled by it. She'd set up her walls after they'd betrayed their friends. It was kind of a sad to watch himself stand by the wayside while she did, but it was too easy to get lost in her circuitous logic and careful planning. This maze had been nothing in comparison. No man alive could navigate a maze like Azula's mind.

* * *

It seemed obvious.

Why then did she seem reluctant to accept what she'd written down. It had taken her hours of time to put together the pieces. A memoir in and of itself. A rough draft. If she ever got out of the Labyrinth, she would make it into something she could really be proud of.

There was another door, of course.

It had been there and she'd just skimmed over it.

_... and it always seemed like I was running around in circles avoiding it. Perhaps it was just as well that I didn't want to enter that door. Inside, I'd be forced to make decisions that I can't make lightly or alone._

_I'm not alone, though. Foolish of me, but I can't help but accept that now. I never really thought about it until I wrote this down. I have friends, and I won't have to be alone again._

_The next step is obvious and unavoidable. I have to open Aang's room and enter the center of the maze._

_And I'm not coming back._

- Excerpts from Azula Houou's Private Diary

_To be continued._


	31. The Corridor of Broken Memories

_**Burn My Dread FES**_

_By Iain R. Lewis_

_Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games._

_"Nightly dance of bleeding sword (just about now, I'm gonna make you dance) reminds me that (know what I mean, going crazy tonight) I still live (just like that.)"_

_- P3FES_

_Lotus Juice feat. Yumi Kawamura_

**Chapter 30: **_The Corridor of Broken Memories_

_I can't sleep._

Azula had never wrestled with insomnia before. Her body was rebelling, and she couldn't even bring herself to get a wink of sleep. And so she was left alone with her thoughts. This didn't offer much comfort either. Thoughts mixed together like a putrid cocktail of fear and grief and guilt inside her head.

She'd never had heartache before - no, that was a lie. There were so many lies and tearing them down left her wondering exactly what she was trying to hide but a wormwood heart. She needed to do something. But everyone was tired. She could read the exhaustion in their eyes. She could feel it in her bones.

But she needed to take her mind off of these things, and so her feet had led her to stare down at the black mass that was blocking Aang's door. How strange to think that before now, simply leaving this maze would have been enough. Any yet...

Her other side, the Stranger she hid - or was that the thing she'd been but no longer wanted to be? - whatever it had been, facing up to it had left her with a new perspective. She had to make it right.

And through this door there was a place where Time and Memory were one and the same, and she had to get there. But how? She couldn't just break down the barrier with force, could she?

She hadn't actually tried it.

The shadows - if they really were shadows - sucked in light like a black hole. There was nothing but an unending sea of black. Her hands steady and her breath even, she gazed into the abyss and prayed that it didn't stare back.

Azure flames flew through the sky, and collided with the door like a concussive blast. The force was strong enough that it wouldn't have incinerated a door so much as splintered it. It was good to have firebending back. She felt whole again.

And despite the force, despite the power, the door held firm. But the shadows seemed to be crawling towards the wall, away from the blast. As Azula's breath wore down, so did the blast, and behind it, slightly charred but not broken, was a door. The shadows quickly began to surround it again. It was almost as if it was alive.

She reached out to the door and the substance, viscous and black, seemed to leap up at her fingers. She drew her hand back quickly as a sensation, neither hot nor cold, burnt her fingers. "What are you?" she wondered in a low whisper.

The darkness reached out again, only this time the formless mass seemed to resemble carnivorous teeth. It lashed out and coming together in a bone-crushing snap. Azula jumped back, but the teeth kept snapping and biting. More and more emerged from the door. Jagged teeth and steel jaws probed around inches in front of her face. And across the floor, the shadows reached out. The blackhole of matter guarding the door seemed intent to suck her in as well.

However, Azula stood perfectly still in the face of this, and brought her hands up, tracing a line of air that seemed momentarily to stand still before it lit. The azure blaze trailed after, and moving it like a gymnast's ribbon, she leapt backwards, cutting the air with fire.

"You're afraid of it, aren't you?" she asked the door, as its shadowy tendrils kept its distance. "You learned that fire burns, and now you know to fear it." Perhaps she gave it too much credit, she amended silently, perhaps it was just some facsimile that it had acquired. Still, the door was crawling away from the fire. "How unfortunate for you."

She twisted her finger into position. Some distant memory seemed to be calling to her, but she dismissed it. Now wasn't the time for suicide. She wasn't in the right state of mind for that memory to come back yet.

She kicked off the ground and charged at the door. Her finger left a trail behind her of azure that lit up the room. Did this creature know fear? It certainly acted cowardly. It was running from her, but she wouldn't allow it.

Like a razor wire, the air she bended around her finger and the fire she bended into it, sliced through the receding tendrils. They flopped to the ground and returned to the state of black matter before evaporating in a thick cloud of smoke.

The rest of the door made a high pitch sound that rang in her head more than through her ears. She backed away, but twisted the fire around in her hand as she did. "Whatever you are, if you can hear me, let me make one thing perfectly clear. You won't stop us."

Like a volcano erupting, or the sun itself, she mustered up the force of fire in her hands and shot it out. The hall was bathed in azure light as the flames collided with the door. Whatever writhing mass remained became nothing more than smoke as the flames collided with it.

Like the tide, it receded. She stared at the door. What it had left behind didn't look any different from the other doors, but in her eyes, still unfocused from lack of sleep, it looked special. It looked almost like it emitted a soft glow of hope. It wasn't Aang's room, but a door like any other in the labyrinth. It was labeled _XXI_.

This was it, the last door.

She let loose a mad giggle. "Finally..."

She would probably have even let out an insane cackle if not for the noise of every door in the dorm simultaneously opening. She turned around and watched her friends pour in with expressions of worry and annoyance all over their faces. "Azula, why are you up?" Zuko asked, his face carefully neutral.

"I found the door," she said, weakly. Suddenly, she didn't feel so confident.

* * *

On memories...

Memories are like glass. Fragile, beautiful things that can be altered, shaped, and forged by heat into whatever we make of it. That perfect moment, that beautiful lie that a memory will last a lifetime - a memory is little more than a lie we tell ourselves.

Observe it, and see it changed, the reflections in the glass are countless memories and all of them struggle for someone to remember them. And that's the danger. We take out these memories only briefly, and the damage is never apparent. We change it to be perfect.

This is the lie.

A summer day ignored the sweltering heat of the sun, replacing it with pleasant shade, and winter quick forgets the chill and the dirtied snow and replaces it with a comfortable blanket of white. These memories come here, damaged, broken, untrue and unwanted.

Like shattered glass, they are dangerous. Because a memory is but a snapshot of the past, and when we change a memory, in a very small way, so does the past. In this way humanity makes a fool of time, or perhaps... just maybe, time makes fools of us all.

Here, especially, the memories are strong. They're different here than in the rest of the labyrinth. The discarded passages that have been all but forgotten come here, the memories that most want to be remembered. The memories it most desires.

Here, among these broken memories, a shape recoiled. It seemed uncertain of its own reaction. Pain was not a native concept. No, to say it felt pain would be inaccurate, but it is something similar. Its borrowed shape stared mystified at the source of this brand new sensation. It felt something drip from its arm.

It wasn't blood - the creature had no use for such a thing - but it acted in much the same way. It ran down its arm and puddled on the ground, dripping inside the broken glass of another memory. It was the darkness of a cave, corrupt and obscuring and transformative. Everything it touched became darkness.

Around it, like a jagged, perfect nightmare the corridor stretched out. The deceptive hall went on for miles but it only took a minute for it to cross. This was the first door. Like a wounded animal returning to its den, the beast returned to its home.

A hand pressed against the door, and then sunk into it. The beast's shape seemed to dissolve into the door. Behind it, the memories churned and something emerged. These broken memories would give it shape, and it writhed and fussed and the darkness wrapped around it as it took shape.

A skeletal shape - not made of bone but something that seemed alive - reached into the mirror and pulled from it a plain white mask.

* * *

Azula looked - well, she looked bad. But she was driven. "Couldn't sleep," she muttered to no one in particular as the rest of the group came around in a semi-circle facing the door. Only Katara had the decency to wrap a blanket around Azula's shoulder.

"You look very tired."

"I couldn't sleep," she repeated tiredly. "There's still a little further."

"You're not going to do anyone any good if you keep pushing yourself like this, Azula."

"Always fussing over everyone," she muttered, "Katara, you are an old lady."

"And you are probably insane, Azula Houou. But we don't hold that against you," she said, before amending internally, _Anymore_.

"So let's just open it," Toph said. Frustration was evident. She'd had enough waiting. It felt like months since they'd done anything last. She wanted to get in there and find out just what was goig on. "Azula's ready to go, right?"

"Ready," Azula muttered.

"She's in no state."

"I can do this, Katara," she said, drawing herself upright, "I can. I just need a few minutes to compose myself. We've wasted enough time. Whatever it is that's been leading us on is in there, and it's getting stronger."

"She's correct. Something powerful is inside," Yue said, "I think we should proceed quickly, Katara, as soon as Azula is ready. I believe she knows what she is doing, if it's any consolation." Katara looked wearily at the others.

"Let me guess, you agree?"

"We've been here long enough. We've faced worse odds, too," Sokka said. "We can beat this thing if we know how."

"And do we?"

"Yes, Katara, we do. It's simple, really. It feeds on negative emotions. We can use that against it. We'll draw it in and take it down on our own terms."

"But how are we going to do _that_? Sokka, this thing has to be impossibly strong. Who knows how long it's been here."

Zuko grunted. "Doesn't matter. We beat it, no matter what. Azula got given Aang's powers for a reason, guess it's time to put them to use." He crossed his arms. "Azula, you do know what to do, right?"

"I suppose I do," she said, weakly. She wasn't so certain of that, "Still, we don't have time to make certain. Let's go. This thing wants the world to end, and I can't allow that." But why not? Because of him, even if she couldn't admit it to herself, she could feel it in her bones.

Katara sighed, "We've sacrificed too much to let the end of the world happen - again."

"We sure do get to avert a lot of apocalypses."

"Shut up, Snoozles, let's face it, we're too awesome to let this happen. So let's get going. You got the key, right, Spice Girl?"

The key that she'd been given by Lee - it was still here. It seemed to change for every door they entered. This wouldn't be any different. She approached the door and she placed the key where the keyhole should be. It sunk inside and was gone. The door opened slowly, revealing a corridor of broken glass.

"Let's go," Azula said. Weariness could wait. She knew somewhere at the end of this passage waited the place where time and memory intersected. And there she could make everything all right again.

She stepped forward because she couldn't turn back.

There was no source for the light, but it seemed to come from everywhere. The mirrors reflected and distorted it, casting prismatic beams about. There was silence, but as they walked further in, the sound of birdsong and distant melodies

Inside her head, Azula felt her mind drift. _It was late summer, and the skies were beginning to turn dark as another tempest came upon the small island. It made her think of when she was a small child who hid from the thunder under her sheets and -_

That never happened. She was probably beginning to have nightmares while awake. That made sense, as much as anything did. She'd never been this tired before. "Guys?" Toph's voice quivered, "Did anyone else get a really odd feeling?"

"Another attack?" Zuko grunted. Yue shook her head.

"There's nothing here but these mirrors."

"Memories," Azula said, "They're memories just like everywhere else in this maze. There's nothing to be alarmed about. We're in a place that isn't real and is more real than real all at once."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"So? It is what it is, and that's all there is to it," Azula said. _It was rather embarrassing looking back. She had opened her mouth and put her foot in there well and truly -_

Stop, that wasn't real either. Whoever felt that way had never met Azula Houou. There was nothing here but memories, so Yue said, there was no attack. This wasn't a trick, it was something else.

"There are so many memories," Katara breathed in wonderment, "More than we've seen."

"It took this many to make this labyrinth and all the memories we traveled through," Sokka said, "So many people who remember these things."

"No," Azula interrupted, "So many people who want to forget."

The memories screamed out at once. _It was morning and - late evening seemed to fill the sky with stars like diamonds - he was wearing the stupidest grin, and her fist just flew without consulting her brain - and then the meteor shower filled the empty expanse - as the morning wore on -_

"Stop it."

_- he was on the ground - she felt like she was all alone, a speck in the universe - the morning that went on forever, with the promise of work on the horizon as the clock ticked another solitary second -_

"Shut up, that isn't right at all!"

They were in her head. The memories were trying to steal her mind and take them over. They wanted to be remembered and they didn't care who did the remembering. She felt waves of sadness, and moments of joy, and the overwhelming wait of shame and grief all at once, all fighting for her brain and they didn't care what was destroyed in the process.

She stumbled forward as the memories overrode her senses. She could only see the past, and the present became something dimly on the horizon. Stumbling into glass, she could hear it shatter in the background of the chatter of the memories, until, at last, there was silence.

"I - everyone all right?" she asked. But the silence wasn't broken. Her eyes took time to adjust to the light. Rainbows criss-crossed in front of her. She could feel no scratches but there was a distinct sense she should have been hurt. She'd fallen through glass hadn't she?

She glanced behind her. The corridor stretched endlessly forward, she turned forward and was greeted to the same. In fact, every direction seemed to go on endlessly, reflected in each shattered sheet of glass was another reflection. She felt uncomortable here.

And her reflection - she looked pale and insane. Her eyes were not the eyes of a sane woman, that was certain. But she was sane enough to know it, and that was little comfort. She'd always been straight as a corkscrew. That was fine, sometimes a corkscrew was what you needed. But she never thought of herself as broken.

"I'm going to make it right," she told herself. Her lips didn't move. The reflection just stared forward. "That has to count for something, doesn't it?" she pleaded with herself. "That counts for something!"

This wasn't real. The memories were doing this. They were still inside her head. Quieter now, but still there crawling for purchase. She wasn't insane. She was tired, she was at her limits, but she wasn't - was she? A lifetime of certainty had never prepared her for how to deal with uncertainty. If the cat is in the box, is it alive or dead; is it somewhere in between?

She had to keep moving. Footstep after footstep, the memories got louder. She could feel the gunshot wound in her chest, her heart breaking in two, feel knives lacerating her brain, and while they scuffled for dominance, all she could feel was a thousand lifetimes of guilt and regret mixing together again, that vile cocktail.

And on the ground she saw the blood.. No, not blood, not quite, but something just the same. She fought back against the memories as she looked closer. If it was blood, it was more than enough that whoever bled it would be dead somewhere around here. _She saw her friend's prone form and knew immediately _- no, she didn't. She didn't see that, she didn't _ever_!

Whatever the liquid was, it seemed to react. Azula watched it carefully. Clearly it was responding to her mental state, but why. She wanted to touch it, just to get a sense for how it felt. It was drawing her in, and it looked so inviting.

Which is why she instead made a fist and blasted it with fire. She wouldn't be had - not by whatever that was. She stared, her fists still poised in the follow-through. Breath after breath, she watched the smoke clear.

The substance was still there, but now it let out a terrible screech and Azula fought for purchase as her mind became overwhelmed with primal memory. Next she knew, she could feel the grass between her fingers and the sun on a warm summer day on her back.

"Where - what happened?"

She wasn't sure who she was asking, but she could feel someone nearby. She could remember countless days like this, but only in the barest of details. Memories of younger days, before everything became horrible. Before the accident, before her father's ambition ruined everything - here, she felt safe.

"Was I ever so naive?" she wondered aloud, "I doubt it."

The Fire Nation - her home in the Fire Nation no less - just as she remembered it. And waiting for her with open arms was her mother. Common sense screamed at her to run away, but like a moth to the flames, she could only be drawn in.

* * *

The beast had no form but what it borrowed, the same could be said for what it threw off. So the form of the Scion in the white mask became what it could steal. Here it felt the screaming memories of a thousand faceless human lives that had been cast into this oblivion. It drew its strength from it.

And if it couldn't become it could at least assume a shape from the strongest memories. Along the length of its web, it could feel people stumbling. These were different memories. Intrigued, it followed them. They blindly stumbled in all directions. Confusion set in. Then, hunger. The Scion was but an infant, newly born. It acted on instinct and followed them blindly.

The one with the white hair was different. From the various memories it had absorbed into itself, the Scion could tell. White hair, but young, eyes that shone with a light - different, very different, and dangerous too. It didn't like different. Different could mean anything. So instead it had gone after the one with a pleasant enough shape, attractive - not beautiful, though, but sharp, perhaps? Composite memory was somewhat tricky to parse.

It borrowed a shape from the deepest, strongest memories. As the girl, who muttered to herself from time to time, drew nearer, it could feel those very memories give it form. It was tall, slender, elegant. The shapeless black mass it called a body stretched, limbs extended off from its body, and with them long, defined fingers. Hair spilled out from behind its mask and cascaded down its back.

And the girl's eyes lit up. "Mother?" The newborn Scion cocked its head to the side in confusion. The girl seemed smaller now. She moved towards her like she was being drawn closer. _Into the web_,

She reached out those strange appendages called fingers towards the girl, but the face was impassive as the mask underneath. Inhuman, predatory instincts took hold.

And Azula walked forward like a lamb to the slaughter, unaware of the bony appendages that were slowly emerging from the Scion's back.

* * *

_Azula, listen to me. Whatever you believe, this- this thing isn't your mother._

She was calling her closer, beckoning her with her finger. There was no denying it. There was her mother, so welcoming and warm like the days of summer that waned around them both; a precious moment lost in time. She'd thought she'd never experience anything like this again.

**No worries, no fears, only comfort.**

And yet...

_Please, Azula, don't do this. I - I don't know if you can even hear me, but you must, you simply must listen to me!_ _This isn't _real_._

The woman smiled in a distant, loving way. Like everything around her, it seemed so far away. **Come closer**, she seemed to say. and Azula hurried to comply. It was so strange her her legs felt tangled together. It must have been her imagination. Why was it so hard to think?

_Look at her, Azula. That thing - that thing looks nothing like your mother!_

But she looked just like she remembered! How could that voice think otherwise. She was so... so motherly. Her hair was long and black, like hers, and she had elegance and grace like Azula had always envied about her. She was so tall, and beautiful and perfect and -

_Focus, Azula, please. I'm frightened. Everyone's separated and I don't think we can do this without you._

Who was that, that voice that seemed to be coming from the wind? It was trying to disturb her happiness. She had to silence it. It was lying. Everything was wonderful, and it would stay wonderful forever and -

"This is wrong."

The land around her that she recognized so readily moments before seemed alien, and the woman she had so certainly thought was her mother now seemed a distant giant. Like a small child looking up at her mother, the woman was huge, and the face was nothing like the kind face of her mother.

"You're not her. You're nothing like her!"

The woman froze.

"I don't know where you took me - or if you took me anywhere at all. But bring me back right this instant!" She felt something electrifying running down her spine, and fire burst to life in her hand. She was prepared to fight, but her legs wouldn't respond. She stared down at the threads of black that bound her tightly.

The woman lurched forward, its back breaking at the center, and from its torso, shredding its way outwards, many bony shaped hands. It almost looked like a spider wrapped in black, and on its face was a simple white faced mask made of porcelain. It wore itself like a tiara.

Tearing off the remainder of the memory it skittered towards Azula. She couldn't look away from the mask. There was no traces of humanity in it.

The monster was made of the same substance as the thread. It was neither cloth nor liquid, but it seemed to have qualities of both, and it writhed all over. A great noise like the buzzing of thousands of insects droned, but the frequency got into her head and pulled her in thousands of directions. Their singular purpose was to turn her mind into the thing of nightmares. It felt like the bugs were crawling around inside her.

It took her everything to stay focused. She had to breathe. She had to feel the balance, and she had to keep breathing and let the fire breathe through her.

She aimed not for the monster with its exo-skeletal appendages, but for the threads at her feet. The fire blazed blue, At first the monster ignored it, focusing only on its prey in desperate struggles. But the fire drew ever nearer and it could do nothing but escape.

It leapt to the ceiling, skittering along on its bony appendages, it found a reflection at seemingly random before diving into it. The reflection turned black and then reflected nothing at all. The fire ate away at the inky thread, and she pulled her legs free.

"Thank goodness," said the voice in her head, and Azula realized that the speaker was behind her. "I was so worried when I found you -"

"Yue, calm down. What happened?"

"Well," Yue said, her eyes drawn to the blaze that was slowly dying away even as Azula pulled her feet out of it, "That's to say, I believe we all got split up and you were the first one I found. It's dreadful, Azula, that monster came out of nowhere and you were calling it 'Mother' and I thought you were going to die."

"Yue, I told you, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Um, you're welcome," she said, with a smile. "But that thing - what if it has the others?"

"I nearly guarantee that at least Sokka will find himself caught," she said, coldly, "Even if we warned him about it. No doubt he would see some massive pile of meat and stumble towards it like the moron he is."

"You're very cruel to Sokka, sometimes."

"Isn't everyone?"

"Well, yes, I suppose," she said, "But he takes it well."

"How did we get separated, Yue? Precisely, sil vous plait."

"The memories here are different. I'm sure you've already noticed, but they want to be remembered. They desperately want a home, and they're seeing our heads as a convenient place to stay. It's making finding my way around a hassle, let me tell you."

"So that's why you took so long to find me?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Azula answered. She wondered what it must be like for the goddess who sensed things for what they were, hearing the memories crying out for a home. She wasn't entirely sure whether to envy her or not. "Can you sense whatever that thing was?"

"Even through this noise. In fact, I think a lot of those memories have taken residence inside it. They're like little insects, don't you think?"

"That's what came to mind, too," she responded. "Like a trashbag full of bugs." The image ran a shiver down her spine. "Anyhow, as distasteful as it is, I think we'd best follow it. If it's left more webs like that hidden in this corridor, who knows who stumbled along blindly into it."

"Toph."

"Metaphorically."

"Oh."

* * *

It could grant every desire, as long as it could find it in someone's memory. Thousands of strands of thick, black web ran along the corridor, most of them invisible in the blinding light the corridor gave off. They trembled delicately as the wanderers.

The web ran throught the memories themselves, and it disturbed them. The Scion enjoyed destroying memories. The ones it like, it consumed. Consumption came easily to anything that came from the beast.

Summers become winters, and everything alive whithers and dies. The web runs deep in these memories, catching those that wander through them unaware. The Scion ran its web through, looking for the happy memories to lie in wait.

It waits to take the knife, to plunge it deep, but then it lets the prey twist it.

The Scion clung to the ceiling, grabbing at the edges of memories and gazing down at the web. It had been spun long and wide It twisted its head around like an owl, gazing into each of the memories in turn, information that would have overloaded a human brain was processed in minutes.

Then, it felt a tug, and if it had any concept of emotion, it would have felt a rush of excitement. Instead, it detached from the ceiling and dived into the floor. There was a splash, and then, for a moment, everything was quiet.

But only the briefest of moments.

It emerged with a shape that wasn't its own.

* * *

She'd never been to the circus. Growing up, Azula made sure not to get herself involved with things like that. University always seemed to be a first priority. Traveling abroad to broaden her horizons left her with very little time to enjoy silly, childish things like the circus. Ty Lee spoke at length about it, though.

In spite of never going to one in her life, due to the incessent shrieking of the memories as they struggled to escape, she knew exactly what one was like. The sights, the noises, the - oh Agni - the smells.

She remembered a fun house mirror - someone else's memory, no doubt. It deformed the reflection in such a way to make it seem funnier. Fatter, skinnier, taller or shorter - there was no end to the strange shapes the bend and contortion to the reflective glass could create.

But they also obscured more mirrors. Reflections reflected passages that didn't exist. Wandering this deep in the maze was like going through a mirror house. She wasn't sure what was real until she collided with it.

It smarted, too, especially when the memory she slammed into made a terrible noise like it had been struck.

"Perhaps I should take the lead?"

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," Azula answered. Yue graciously said nothing, but weaved through the mirrors to the empty spaces. If the light caught it just right, she could see the gossamer strands that ran through the maze. It was getting bigger, stronger with every passing second. How couldn't it? The memories wanted a home, and the monster wanted to eat them.

"Are we close?"

"Yes."

"Good, I don't want to waste any time."

Yue bit her lip, nervously, "There's something wrong," she answered, "I can sense Toph ahead, but there's a problem." She rounded a corner and glanced around. Mirrors in every direction, not a single passageway.

"Which way?"

"I don't know."

"Just pick one!" Azula snapped. Yue lifted a trembling finger. Fire streamed from behind her and she nearly screeched in shock as it struck the mirror she pointed at with intense heat. "There, we've made a path - you must be joking!"

The mirror was gone, shattered into a thousand pieces. The memory was screaming, but it still held together by strands of gossamer. They were so thick that the inky threads seemed like the trunk of a tree.

"It doesn't want us to approach."

"I had not reached that conclusion, Yue," Azula muttered. The sarcasm rolled off her tongue thick as the night is black, "Amazing deduction, as always. Is there another way to her? Anything?"

"Um, well," she paused. "This may take a moment. Like I said, all of these memories are making it very difficult to see."

"Why is that, exactly?"

"Oh, that's actually very interesting!" Yue's eyes shone brightly. "You see, the problem since we've come here is that the maze is actually infinite. Literally, infinite, which is completely different from either of our worlds."

"Uh-huh, you really wanted an excuse to talk about this?" Azula asked in measured tones. It was difficult to feel angry with Yue with the bright smile on her face. "Why is it infinite?"

"Because the memories are also part of the maze. That's why we were able to travel through to what seemed like the past. Here, with so many memories active like this, it's likely that they lead to and from each other."

"Wait, what?"

"They could act like little tunnels if you knew where one came out."

"Can you do that?"

"I think I could, given time, but like I said, it's hazy because there are so many. It's really hard to describe in three dimensions."

"You keep reminding me," she answered. "Just make it quick!"

"Yes, Azula, I'll be as fast as I can."

And to her surprise, it didn't take long. One was there at the forefront, and it pervaded her senses even now, as an outside observer. It was just a matter of finding where the right reflection. She pressed her hands against one and stared inside. Then, she moved to another, this time with more certainty.

"What are you doing?"

"I think I know how we can reach Toph. I'm just a bit nervous about where it will come out."

"We don't have time."

"I know, I know, but Azula -"

"Which way do we go."

Yue thought of protesting. She could explain it pretty quickly, and in terms that would ignore such things as multi-dimensional causality and other terms that were as plain as height and width were to a completely normal human being.

But Azula didn't seem to be in the mood. Yue just pointed at the fragmented glass, Azula nodded, and dived in to the spectacle of the circus.

_To be continued._


End file.
